Risaishi
by chinochan-inulover
Summary: Risai: 罹災 りさい suffering from a calamity,affliction They meet in a destroyed world and they'll learn with each other the hardships of life and the grandiosity of love , but not before feeling destroyed, angsty, and burned with heartache. AU, Inu/Kag
1. The Magic Well

**Disclaimer: **This author owns not the Inu-tachi characters, however in the path of world's conquest, she will come to own them. For now they belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

_Authors note:_ this author rated this fan fiction M, because she expects to be able of creating, foul mouthed (the half breed of course…), lemon and gory scenes.

This author binds you farewell and warns you that if you read you must review, or else she will use Toukijiin on you.

_Enjoy_

**Risaishi**

**Chapter 1- ****The Magic Well**

I swear someday I'm going to kill Souta for always making me late for school.

Yuka Eri and Ayumi must be calling me in a few seconds already.

"Listen Souta, I really don't have time for this. You know I've got to go to school"

For kami's sake it's my birthday and first day of school in Jun high school and the little twerp is bugging me about of that stupid fat cat okaa-san gave him five years ago.

Where are you Buyo?

Souta grabbed my hand in the stairs and pulls me towards the front door, not answering me of course, and forgetting that I too would enjoy breakfast. Yeah right … Wishful thinking…breakfast!

"But onee-chan! I saw Buyo running to the well house!"

I narrowed my eyes to look at him

"And you didn't do anything to scare Buyo a make him run? "

He fidgets a little and then vehemently shakes his head in negative fashion.

Sigh again.

My name is Higurashi Kagome and this is my life.

I live with my outouto my jii-chan and my okaa-san in a house just next to the shrine. Jii-chan takes care of the shrine most of the time, but he says it's our family's duty and that we all should help. Then again the old man says a lot of things. He's always telling this crazy stories about this and that and legends and stuff, no need to say that I don't really pay any attention what he says, he even came up with this stupid story that I'm the reincarnation of this ultra powerful miko and that I have spiritual powers! Go figure! Crazy old man…

Okaa-san is my favorite person ever, but I miss my Outou-san a lot too, he died seven years ago when okaa-san was pregnant with Souta-chan, he never knew him.

Anyway okaa-san is very understanding and always supporting, she never leaves my side.

Then there's Souta, he's afraid of everything! And that's why he's dragging me to the well house, it seems that used to be some dead youkai landfill. Yes Souta believes this because in spite I'm always telling him to pay zero attention to what jii-chan says he always listen… What a wuss Souta! He's always scared and running off to my bedroom, once he's my baby brother I got to help him of course… especially since he never knew Outou-san… I wish he had.

Already in our way to the shrine area I kneeled in front of him and straighten his uniform.

"Souta-chan I got to go to school I don't have time to look for Buyo."

Well then , that big baby looked at me with his kawaii sad face and glinting widened eyes and, his bottom lip began to tremble and I brace myself for the fit that was to come.

"_But Kagooomeee!_" he whines "I_ want Buyo!!"_

Sighing in defeat I got back to my feet and grabbed his hand again pulling him towards the well house, how could I deny him when he's the most adorable kid ever?!

Sighing again because of my trail of thoughts I catch a glimpse of jii-chan raking the dead leaves and I try to avert myself from his distracted look. He's going to bug me because I'm after a stupid obese cat instead of being on my way to school. Guess what? He couldn't be more right! For the first time in my life I agree with my grandfather…

Uh-oh too late! He saw us.

He was checking his hakama and caught a quick look of Souta's happy face.

"Kagome what are you doing here? You should be on your way to school!"

"Yeah I know jii-chan but I have to go to the well house because Buyo apparently got lost…"

I sent a nasty look to Souta and jii-chan understood at once, going away in a instant to his broom muttering something under his breath about fat cats. Oh well…

"I hate when he does that"

Souta was still complaining about grandfather when minutes later we entered through the shoji door of the well house. Souta didn't want to come in so I got in by myself, I mean I've been here a gazillion times (and so does he, but he's this really big wuss)

"Buyo? Buyo come here you fat cat!"

I called for Buyo but all the 3 minutes I was there I never even caught a glimpse of the fur ball, I was to leave when a sound got my attention, it was a simple sound like something was being dropped but it came f4rom the well.

Wait I didn't look for the far fur ball in the well I didn't thought he's have the work of jumping inside of it.

"Souta I'm going to look inside the well okay, I think I heard something? Just wait a bit more"

Souta squirmed a bit more not used to the darkness inside the well house and whispered as I walked closer and closer the well.

"Onee-san you sure that's a good idea? Its so creep and dark here, what if you fall?"

"Don't be ridiculous Souta!"

I chastised him with a mocking tone of voice and gave

one more step forward next thing I don't know what happened and the whole well house was full of pink beautiful light, and if it hadn't scared me a I'd had enjoyed it quite a bit.

I felt something sink talons on my forearm and I screamed in agony as I saw droplets of sticky dark blood falling at my feet.

I hear Souta shout my name and run towards the well but it was too late the thing that had pulled me had already fulfilled its wish and I was inside the well soaring in a see of pink light and wasn't able to see the lid of it.

What the heck was going on in here?

This must be a dream! How could I be in the well house in one second and in the other floating in a abundance of pink light in nowhere? Is Souta okay? Did he tell okaa-san and jii-chan? Are they going to believe him? Are they going to believe me?

I tried to think in everything at the same time and that wasn't a big help, because next thing I know there's a giant centipede with the torso of a mononoke woman that wasn't very happy to see me.

I screamed and tried to run way from her hold but she had at least six disgusting arms covered in slime human arms in each side of her torso and four of them were grabbing me. The other two pulled my face towards her and she hissed revealing a lizard tongue and I opened my eyes, who would've guessed she had a third eye? My forearm and upper arms were soaked in my own blood and I felt I couldn't move them.

"Give it to me!"

The mononoke hissed her long tongue dangerously near my face I tried to retaliate but the pain in my arms was shooting through my whole body making me immobile.

When she saw I wasn't answering she hissed louder making a shrilling sound that pierced my ears and twirled her long centipede tail, the black hair she had plastered to her face also covered in that slimy substance her body had.

"Give it to me! The shikon no tama is mine! Give me the jewel!"

Shikon no tama? What was this bitch talking about? I think I heard that name somewhere though… but I don't have something like that! Isn't that supposedly some super powerful jewel? No definitely I don't have it! Oh man I didn't ever like bugs in the first place…

"Get away from me mononoke! I don't have it!"

Again that shrilling high pitched sound ripped my head in two and the centipede youkai seemed to be a little and her grip loosened a bit, I thought she was going to take my advice and let go of me, but guess what she didn't! Who would have seen that one coming? Instead she lifted me and placed her enormous jaw fangs above my side opening her mouth as wide as she could and prepare to bite, her tongue tasting my flesh for a microsecond.

And I lost it. I don't know what came over me but I became so angry but so angry about not knowing where my family was, if they're okay, where I was, and just why was a mononoke trying to eat me, that my hands began to sparkle pink lights too and when they touched the naked flesh of the arm of the centipede woman two of them just fell of.

I cried in disgust when I saw the bones in the arms and the flesh soaked in blood from where the limps had fallen and I think I fainted.´

When I woke up I had my ebony bangs plastered to my face sweat was drenching my face and the collar of the my sailor camisole.

I looked around and recognized the well…its tall walls and dark space. Then…had this all been a dream? The pain in my arms and the blood in the sleeves of my uniform jacket told me otherwise. And when I looked to the ground near me I recognized two ivory arms with big pools of sticky blood pouring from them…

_**The centipede mononoke…**_

It hadn't been a dream after all… I really had murdered that mononoke? How had I torn his limbs off? Looking at my hands so clean in spite of my clothes and body condition I remembered the pink energy circling them…What was that?

Could jii-chan be right? Could I have powers?

_**Jii-chan… Souta… okaa-san!**_

I had to get back to them but how would I climb the walls of the well?

Then I spotted a ivy that had already climbed the well on its own , and I started to think that something was wrong, but I had to take this chance, after all if I still was in the well I should be near home …right?

With a great amount of effort, I can assure you I climbed up the ivy and out of the dreading well with it's floor immersed in blood.

My arms hurt even now after this climbing and I let myself fall into the ground. Which should be cement and hard. Well its now.

I guess I'm still in that same nightmare with the centipede woman because when I opened my eyes I didn't found the darkness of the well house or his moldy smell of the decaying years. Instead I was lying on earth that was as hard as cement in fact harder little stones meant to grace it's texture, when they really were hurting my back and legs a lot.

That was when I noticed my surroundings…

Oh man! What have I gotten myself into?

This couldn't possibly be Tokyo… the sky was tinged in black clouds when I was almost positively sure that when I woke up there weren't a cloud in the sky and the sky was as brilliant as ever. Well not in here, the dark clouds covered the whole sky and around me there was nothing but some trees and a lot of debris, it was very weird. It was as if…it had been a forest and a building area all at the same time…the threes were just a few and it was so cold I felt the blood in my sleeves cling to my skin and freeze me.

What was this place?

Up ahead I could see tall sky scrapers, but they were so dark , this whole place was devoid of color there was only black and deviations of it…gray grayish and more gray… I…I didn't understand.

Why wasn't at home? What about Souta? And Jii-chan… okaa-san were they okay?

I started walking I had just gotten out of the well and although this whole area was something I didn't knew some of the trees were familiar enough… home should be near….

So I inched forward and forward… Curiosity was driving me nuts! What was going on in here? I didn't understood and I had to seek my answers. What was I doing here? where or what was _here_? Why was it so dark and devoid of color and at the same time it was so familiar all at the same time? My heart was thundering again my ribcage, my ankle was hurting because I must've strained it when I landed on my but on the bottom of the well, my arms were aching and sore and clinging to my skin because of the dry blood, and each time a I tried to pull my white camisole away it hurt even more because the fabric was inside the gashes the mononoke's talons had made. With all this cold I was getting of course a cold because my sweat was freezing me and looking at my watch I realized it was one in the afternoon and not only I had missed all of my classes but I was going to arrive late at home for lunch… Had Souta told them what happened?

Were they going to send someone to look for me? Was I going to find my house in the middle of all of this debris?

Suddenly I came to a stop.

_**Goshinboku…**_

In front of me stood the centenary sacred tree that had a place in the shrine grounds too and was just in front of my house… if Goshinboku was here then home should be just… ahead.

What I found when I looked at Goshinboku harder wasn't home or any information or indications about it.

Not what I found turning around Goshinboku was a man… a boy.

Maybe my age…maybe older.

But he was so stunning that his very image goad me into kneeling in front o him.

He had his against the large trunk of Goshinboku, his legs sprawled over the roots as if he had grown roots too. It seemed he was there a long time ago… come to think of it… Goshinboku…_my _Goshinboku had a mark too in the exact same spot where he as lying as if the wood hadn't grown in there which could only indicate he was there a long time ago…with my legs neatly tucked under my butt I stood there merely gawking at him. I had never seen someone like him.

Yes he was definitely older than me but not much… maybe twenty years or so.

I tried to understand if his hair was dyed and the only realization I got was that it wasn't and I tried to remember if there was someone normal with silvery white hair at such a young age…

Then again after dealing with the centipede woman I shouldn't be expecting normal things and in fact the realization that once again hit me was that no… there weren't normal people with silvery white long beautiful silky hair flowing around them in the freezing breeze. His face was carved in slightly tanned stone and he had beautiful features, and a scowl on his face demonstrated two shapely equal dark eyebrows the exact opposite color of his beautiful hair.

He was dressed in strange clothes. They seemed clothes from a film wardrobe or something like that.

The thick soft red fabric jacket's hem rested way under his knees which meant it was really very long. It was a fabric I had never seen, it seemed that was a combination of velvet and satin. Under it he wore a white turtle neck camisole of wool that fit his body perfectly clinging to it. His jeans were deep dark, hugged his form perfectly and he wore strange combat boots like the one the military wore.

_**What a strange character…**_

Then I noticed the talons in his fingers, sharp claws but not as long as the ones the centipede youkai had. She imagined he was a youkai too, but he ignited no fear… no fear at all, maybe it was because he was a sleep.

A sleep was a understatement. He wasn't dead, but he wasn't a sleep either…I couldn't hear him breath but strangely I sort of felt the life in him pulsing vaguely as if it wasn't very certain.

I felt compelled to touch him… but was it okay? What if i took him some limb by mistake? Huh probably not… I was angry at the time, pissed off really and that must have been why my… _spiritual powers _reacted..

So… very gently, carefully and aware of myself and my surroundings, I extended one hand to him and stopped abruptly midway.

Something in this strange character.

Something in my line of sight caught my attention and I direct my gaze to the top of his head…

_**Kawaii!**_

This youkai, this strange man in front of me had the cutest koinu ears I had ever seen and in the sides oh his own head… could he be a Inu-youkai? I just had to touch them, and therefore I continued the path my hand was leading and touched the fuzzy triangular appendages in the sides of the crown of his silvery white head.

They're so soft and they're warm and twitching, I just wanted to nuzzle them and inwardly the thought that that thought was entirely all too canine made me stop.

Then a sound made my body stiffen and my vocal chords wanted to bulge and scream because immediately all my wounds ached and my strained ankle hurt too.

When I turned my head I could see someone was there but they hadn't seen me .

Yet.

Well that was just the time my cold had to show itself, the incontrollable and quick urge to sneeze made way through my nose tickling it and…

"Achuuuuu!"

Oh man, I'm sure they heard me! Now what? Should I run? Should I hide?

"who's there? Show yourself"

A voice cracked, full of apprehension.

Two manly silhouettes appeared from behind a large mount of debris and one of them held a machine gun in his shoulder the other one was aiming his weapon at me.

Too late for running

The two men stood there, gazing at me and occasionally at each other, their features were acutely Asiatic so I was still – hopefully- in the same continent.

Finally one of them dressed in gray, I see looked at my wounds and then stare at my face.

I won't deny I was afraid. Yeah, I was afraid they're double of my age and they didn't seem very friendly. Besides the man who was aiming the AK47 – yeah Souta makes me play videogames with him – at me, was still doing that. The other one held the gun machine at his side and still was looking at me and my clothes strangely. Yeah as if pervert!

"Ichigo! Hurry up!"

The man behind bellowed, to the one in front of me.

"I don't recognize her… she must be a spy. After all she was here so…"

"She doesn't look like a youkai. She's human baka."

Youkai? Me? And what's with the machine guns? Why were they armed? They also had katanas at their belts… I didn't like thiiis…

"Uh… I'm sorry… but I'm human… I just… I guess I'm lost…"

I blabbered and tried to stand. Falling because my ankle it was hurting really bad.

"She's hurt Arata. We should take her to Kaede- sama she'll want to know this _gaijin_ was roaming near Inuyasha."

Arata the man aiming the Ak47 at me, finally lowered his weapon and Ichigo the man in front of me took one step forward at which I recoiled in fear.

But he didn't come closer. And who the hell was he calling gaijin? I was never fond of that term, besides I'm from Tokyo Damn it!

I think I'm panicking now, who's this Kaede? And why didn't they come closer? Was it because of…

I looked at the silver haired bisoujo again and let my hand graze his for a second before I get up and walk towards the man.

"Gaijin, are you a spy?"

Finally one of them, Ichigo the fair skinned in a non-healthy way spoke to me, he also grabbed my arm and pulled me towards Arata.

But he squeezed my lacerated flesh in the right spot in order to make the pain remarkable and in my hurting haze I stumbled on a root and fell forwards, however the grip in my arm was so tight that I literally stood dangling in his hand. Talk about luck… right?!

"I'm not a gaijin! I'm from Tokyo! Where are you taking me?"

I spit out, and next thing I know I'm unconscious

I woke up much later with the frightening knowledge and sensation that I had slept a lot.

And when I say a lot… I mean really a lot. I felt like I had slept through the day. Imagine my surprise when I look around and my head hurts a lot, as do my foot and my arms and I realize I'm not in a place I know, its night, deep night and something slimy and cold is pressing against the wound on my forearms and upper arms, and something dry like leaves are brushing and ticking my ankle.

I'm laying on a futon that it's comfy and warm and I want to doze off again and forget my problems just for a bit again. I notice the ceiling is very, very high, am I hallucinating? Because the ceiling is as high as the ceiling of a warehouse and that's very weird considering this looks a modest house room. I try to stand up and a wet cloth falls from my forehead brushing something on my forearm and I noticed I'm only wearing my bra and I have gauze all over my arms squeezing them tight I can distinguish a green oily substance that smells funny. Not bad…funny, then I look at my ankle supported by my elbows and I realize I was right there are foliage clinging to my foot. And its making the ache go away.

Although I was a bit unnerved because someone undressed me and I had no way to know who was the person who did this- and therefore if it was a man or a woman – I was also glad someone was seeing to my injuries.

Suddenly the ceiling looked shorter and my head was dizzy, I felt groggy and I thought I was going to vomit.

My family must be so worried about me … I had to get a way of coming back!

And in a determinate fashion I punched the inside of one of my hands…

I get excited, and I tend to forget that I'm hurt.

letting out a shriek of pain I fell into the futon again and when I thought nobody was coming I relaxed again.

Maybe if I went into the well again maybe it would bring me back to my family, after all it had brought me here to this dark place…right? Yes maybe... but I was getting so sleepy again… I should sleep for a couple more hours…

And when I was beginning to doze off the noise of a shoji door being pulled aside woke me.

I jumped in the futon and fumbled in it to change my position and see who was it, once the doors were in line with the pillow of the futon, clinging to the tatami floor as hard as I could with my injured arms – that I noticed didn't hurt half as bad as before – and turned around to face her.

She was very old, maybe older than jii-chan. Her gray hair was tied in a knot at the base of her hair and she was sporting strangely old miko garments… a white suikan and red hakama pants. One of her eyes was hidden by an eye patch I could see, under her bangs. Her face was slightly tanned and wrinkled, and she kept a neutral face expression.

Walking towards me as I slowly turn my head to follow her movement she kneeled next to me and took the wet cloth from my stomach where it lain since it had fallen and dived it in a bucket of water I didn't even noticed she was carrying.

Her voice was cold stone and neutral as her face.

"Are you feeling better child?"

Amazed I nodded while trying not to stare to her covered eye… she was so old…what had happened to her? I couldn't help but to feel sorry for her…

Was she Kaede-sama? Had she been the one seeing to my injuries? Should I thank her? Or let her talk first? The wash cloth damped in cool water was carefully put on my forehead again and she egged me to lie down again, then she began to uncover my arms taking the gauze. I needed to know what this place was. And how to come back home! Why those persons thought I was a _gaijin_ and where were they so that I could give them a piece of my mind… and who had undressed me?

Oh man I was getting dizzy again…

"Where did you come from?"

"I told you already! I'm from Tokyo… jeez why won't you people believe me?"

"You are wearing strange colors."

Oi! What's wrong with light purple and white? That was why that Ichigo guy had stared at my clothes that way?

"Where are they? I want them back… who undressed me?"

"They're being washed. I did. I needed to in order to attend to your wounds."

I guess I wasn't expecting her to say that, so I blushed and met her eyes with determination.

"Domo Arigatou…"

"My name is Kaede and I'm the miko who looks over this area."

I swallowed hard… I was getting anxious and started fidgeting again.

"I'm Higurashi Kagome."

Then the old onna pulled herself closer, and stared at my face shamelessly. Her hand flew to my chin and she tugged it in order to stay eye level with me.

Then she smiled sadly at my frightened expression and let my chin drop.

"You are…"

"I just want to get out of here Kaede-sama…."

"no need to use honorifics with me. You are a miko yourself."

She said in a polite evenly tone but I was completely taken aback and crawled backwards away from her.

"Na - Nani?!"

"Are you denying you have spiritual powers?"

And so I sat calmer and began telling Kaede about me falling into the well the fight with the centipede youkai and then getting out of the well and recognize nothing but the well itself and Goshinboku and about finding the Inu-youkai laying at the base of it.

At the end of the story about my agitated morning, Kaede looked at me with kind eyes, much different from the ones which had faced me some minutes ago.

"Kagome you're truly a miko, and a very powerful one. The well where you fell is the bone eater well and ningen often send youkai bones inside of it when they're defeated for them to not regenerate … it was made centuries ago with wood from The Goshinboku… that is why is sacred…and magic" seeing I was following, she carried on " Do you not know who that hanyou is?"

"Uh… yeah no, not really. Why was he asleep?"

"This was once Inuyasha's forest. That hanyou you saw it was Inuyasha."

Her gaze fell upon the only window that graced the room with the night's full moon light and I sighed, I was so very tired… but the subject was interesting. When regarding that strange character – Inuyasha – I couldn't seem to control my curiosity and so I persuaded myself into stay awake to hear what Kaede was talking about

"He wasn't asleep though… he's sealed with miko powers to that tree for fifty years now…"

I can't help the helpless feeling that rises in my chest. Why ere they seizing him there? Why would they do something so mean? If miko powers had sealed him then miko powers should be able to release him… if Kaede was a miko she could release him. Angry I glowered at her.

"why won't you release him?"

She didn't lost even for a bit the glance she was offering the night outside but she still answered me.

"You do not know Inuyasha… he did awful things… "

But how? He seemed so tantalizing… so _kawaii!_ Okay I know he's a man in he's late teens early twenties but I mean he was jut so beautiful…

I must be kidding did I really though a sealed sleeping Hanyou was sexy?

_**Well, he **__**was **__**…**_

"what did he do for you to keep him captive for fifty years?"

"we couldn't release him even if we wanted too…there's nobody with such amount of power as the one that sealed him… Well there _was_ nobody… now…there is."

What was this old woman saying? She couldn't possibly think that I … I had such powers could she?

"Kaede oba-chan… I only discovered my powers… this morning at the well… you can't possibly mean me…"

Again she offered me one of those kind sad smiles of the ones that lives long enough to doze off in the middle of conversations and remember ancient battles…

"Child you are the reincarnation of one of the most powerful mikos ever… you posses such amount of power than I can feel it oozing off your body right now. Inuyasha was sealed by onee-sama's great pain and grief. One day I'll tell you all about this. But now… you must come back to your family. They should be worried, don't you think?"

Although her words gave me a lot of matter to think about, and I'd think about them … at that time the will to return home was overwhelming and I let myself be overwhelmed. How could explain okaa-san and Jii-chan this whole adventure? Will they believe me? Souta will think that's the coolest thing in the world. Inwardly I smiled and swirled my sight towards Kaede oba-chan.

"But how Kaede oba-chan? Do you think I should jump inside the well? Do you think that as it brought me, it will take me?"

The old woman with the wrinkled and saddened face mused about it, sitting with her legs tucked under her behind in a traditional Japanese fashion, she took one of her hands to her chin and rubbed it very pondering.

"I think Kagome that your powers are indeed fantastic… that well is magic and you were able to control the magic with no notion of what you were doing… Child if this is possible and you can really pass through that well… you must come back to visit us and let me train your miko powers. However child you must forget about releasing Inuyasha, he already caused too much damage as it is… Inuyasha must never be unsealed…"

The old woman talked a lot, and gave away too much information in one single breath. Yes if she was able to pass through the well, then she'd use the well as a passage and learn more about this place, this was Tokyo and yet it wasn't… she wanted to understand and control her powers and discover why people cared about youkai and carried weapons so openly…she wanted to know though before answering anything of this why had the centipede mononoke said she had the shikon no tama?

"uh… Kaede oba-chan? Why… why did the centipede youkai said that I was carrying the shikon no tama?"

Folding her hands neatly in her lap and looking focused at them she hadn't noticed that Kaede had got up and was walking towards the shoji doors.

She stopped abruptly though as if the words had cut into her.

Again that pained look fell upon Kagome over the old onna shoulder and her voice was distant and regretful.

"Because Kagome-chan… you are…"

Sighing her shoulder slumped even more than what was only by aged years.

"I'm going to get your clothes child and then we'll try the well…"

"Ha- Hai… Kaede oba-chan!"

_**What made you so sad Kaede oba-chan?**_

The old woman although frightening at the beginning had actually been very good to her she had taken care of her wounds and gave her a lot of information… was it because of her sister and Inuyasha…? Anyway I wanted to apologize to the woman who had taken such good care after me… The last thing I'd wanted was to upset her…

A strange feeling issued in the pit of my stomach and a twinge made my eyes shot open that had begun to close its lids very slowly. Then a pulse… I could feel a living pulse from outside…

And just has it had come, it become faintly again and she was besieged by the will to close her lids and fall asleep…

I heard the dim sound of the shoji doors being opened again and calloused hands reach my ankle untying the gauze that held the leaves hugging to my limb and a wet wash cloth began to scrub my skin there and after that skin was completely scrubbed, Kaede- and I knew it was her because her presence and aura were strangely and yet not unpleasantly soothing – began to cleanse the skin of my arms…

When Kaede oba-chan had finished and she got up, I imagined reaching my clothes. I felt that twinge again this time stronger, the pulse ran through my veins again, and I sat in the futon hastily.

I found Kaede oba-chan coming to me with a scowl marking her worried expression.

"I felt something too child…"

"Hai!"

She gave me my sailor camisole and light purple jacket that were completely disposed of blood although they had some shredded holes where that centipede bitch had carved her talons…

I wrinkled my nose, when felt my hackles rising. I didn't even noticed the way Kaede oba-chan looked at me as if she were surprised.

Then the earth shook and panicked screaming filled my ears.

Not meaningless screams, I mean real screams in anguish and pain that ripped my heart in two.

Woman were begging mercy for their sons and daughters. The noise of gun shots and katanas being unsheathed because of what I could guess it were man trying fight…

"Kaede oba-chan…what's going on?"

"Dress child, be quick!"

The old miko ordered and stormed out of the door. I as always was confused and torn in two... I should go back home… but what if I could do something to help this persons… what was going on? Rapidly putting my arms through the sleeves of my uniform camisole and dressing my coat preparing myself for the cold that reigned in the air this night. I got off of my futon and pulled the shoji doors aside.

The corridor was like the room I had just been in all built in cement and had only passage for tree more rooms. The must have been as small as the one room I had rested… and with another earthquake I knew I had to be fast...

Maybe she could help people…

Reaching the front door she found her penny loafer and put them on hastily, facing the scenery outside.

Kaede oba-chan held a _yumi daikyu_ a little too big for her height and was aiming an arrow at something in the midst of some defeated corpses and with some men and women behind her.

The _ya_ was glowing in pink light and though weaker it was the same kind of light that came from my hands when I fought the mononoke… So that had been purifying energy…

Jii-chan I'll start to listen too your stories, promise!

I notices these women and these men , one stronger and one weaker they all were counting on Kaede oba-chan to help… but who was this area foe?

In front of me … hissing and shrieking in anger I saw centipede mononoke with four arms left and the flesh that had been part of the limbs that I had earlier this morning torn apart.

Centipede mononoke yelled to the men and women and to Kaede oba-chan that she demanded the shikon-no-tama. That she sensed it and had come hear because she sensed it.

And I froze.

She had destroyed the poor cement houses of this poor people that so humbly, for what I could see lived in wreckage and debris?

Although this was cleanser than that strange forest full of building debris, the small, and by small I meant tiny houses even tinier than Kaede's stood most of them next to each other and a lots of them were now in pieces. Inside some I could distinguish some lumps of flesh some still twitching others completely limp and others marred in deep dark slippery blood.

It was a hell's vision.

There was fire too, and I guessed it had been born from the shooting that had been crossed before.

Furthermore Centipede mononoke had bullets holes in her insect flesh above her waist and in all her torso above and under her breast in her neck and face, but the wounds weren't staying open for much long… oh no they were closing and soon her skin was a perfect as it could be, seeing it was a youkai's skin…

So long story short… all this person… tears stung my eyes and pulling my bottom lip up I sniffed trying to control them but being incapable of it...al this people… they're killed because this demoness was after me?

This was all my fault… breathing deeply and summoning courage to do what I knew was the right thing to do. Biting hard on my bottom lip I ran as fast as my legs could take me even with my strained ankle hurting as hell and placed myself in Kaede's target line…

"Mukade youkai! Is it me your after? Come and get me then!"

In front of me twirling her insect tail around her human body and then throwing it into the ground with ear piercing shriek, centipede mononoke screamed at me

"You little bitch! You have it! The shikon no tama! Give it to me!"

Her long reptilian tongue flicking out of her mouth and her bangs revealing a third eye in the middle of her forehead… I couldn't say I wasn't terrified…

I ran into the only thing I knew. A far I saw the top of Goshinboku mingled in those dark trees and piles of wreckage. Of course I heard Mukade youkai come for me, her long tail filled with little disgusting paws each side swiveled in the ground increasing her speed her only two arms extended towards me and her tongue flicking towards me, as if she wanted to touch me with any part of her body…

It occurred to me that I should be at home eating dinner with my family and then I should do some chores and watch TV or play videogames with Souta outouto-chan… but…

I was here fumbling to get away from a giant half Mukade half onna. But it was okay… it was the right thing to do… I had brought this misfortune…I had brought this…

Once again I looked behind me when I heard new guns shots and one of the bullets passed though me an inch's length… swallowing hard I kept on running with my eyes locked in the vision of the Area people running after the youkai that was pursuing me…they were trying to…protect me?

When it was entirely my fault... why? I saw Kaede firing an arrow but she stumbled and the razor, shining bright pink, didn't hit its target.

_**Hama no ya… was it because of this that jii-chan always wanted for me to learn kyudou? I wish I had listened to that too…**_

I ran faster looking straight ahead, tears streaming down my lovely chocolate eyes…even if it was to late for me… I had to save them…

"Mukade Youkai! Come on! Come and get me! Isn't that what you want? "

Quickening my steps I yelled one last time as loud as my lungs could take it

"Well then, come on!"

She yelled again that horrid high pitched sound, as if my words had burned her as well as my purifying powers…I ran faster, at a certain pint I could no longer feel my legs but I felt the air rush whipping my onyx locks away from my face, my tears turned to ice and when I thought that maybe, just maybe there was a way out when I saw Goshinboku's trunk mere meters away from me and I kept on running desperate to help the ones in the Area… they weren't shooting anymore...

When that root caught my foot so easily, so casually as if I had been running to catch a butterfly and not for mine and the Area's people's life… new tears came to my eyes…The earth shook again…Mukade jurou was as closer than ever…

And I fell

I was expecting landing on a pile of debris and being cut by the hard rocks and glass there are in those piles. But I fell into something soft… The impact making me jump and crush against whatever I landed on.

Silky hairs danced around my face caressing it, under my fingers I felt thick soft fabric, almost like velvet and satin combined, my forehead, I could tell, was resting in the crook of something's… someone's neck…

Inuyasha…

When I opened my eyes… there he was… still in his peaceful features, resting against the bark of Goshinboku…the sacred tree, his whole body limp, he didn't breath… but he was warm…he was warm and at that moment the pain of my injuries wanted to overcome me, engulf me. Here lying next to his heart… I felt so sad… so sad, as if I was sharing his sadness, and it wanted to drown me, it was so realistic, so …pure.

Tears came to my eyes again and the mononoke appeared in front of me, a nasty smile in her repulsive mouth where her tongue lashed out. Her two remaining arms expanding towards me her fangs completely out of her mouth and she laughed with the same ear piercing frequency she screamed with.

I couldn't help but to recoil in fear…

So this was how it would turn out?

_**Kagome was a normal girl…**_

She swiveled her tail once again and throwing it to the floor her upper body flew to me, grabbing me by my sides leaving puncture marks gashing blood and coating her talons, I shrieked in agony…she dragged be by the ground while she flew meters away, her breast dangerously closed to my face making me want to throw up.

_**She had her friends, and her family… and everybody loved her. Then she disappeared… **_

She raked one of her clawed hands over my stomach leaving cuts all the way… one of her talons punctured me deep there. With agony yell I wiggled harder to get out o her grip… but she was too strong…

My body began to glow pink again I felt renewed energy flowing through my veins… if I let these youkai win… those people's life would be at stage…

But unlike what I believed the centipede youkai would do, she throw me against a tree, that threaten to fall due to the impact, and I blacked out…

_**They never saw her again… if only they knew she had died in a place full of shadows, they'd all weep **__**for Kagome was the one who always scared the shadows away from their hearts…**_

Swimming in black, I thought I was lost…

But when I thought there was no possible escape I felt sharp teeth… I didn't think they could be called that… sharp fangs raked over the place of my body, right above my hip bone, that this Mukade was obstinate with… something rough and wet, slimy touched me there, licking it hastily and I shrieked in disgust, and combining with my cry came other, much higher that made groggy and made want to fall asleep again…

_**She couldn't **__**bind them farewell, and neither could them.**_

_**Kagome died torn apart from them, trying to rescue people she had innocently put in danger… and that was the proof of her pure heart… **_

"Centipede youkai…"

I whispered to the wind, but they were words to deaf ears, because they silently fell of lips when pain overcame my throat and made me scream as loud as I could, when the youkai onna buried her fangs in my flesh and raked one fang to where the other had been opening a gash large enough to stick one hand inside her body, her loins withdraw from the pain and as loud as I screamed when I looked down and saw under the Mukade youkai's hungry tongue, a cut in my body squishing dark blood that stick to me and my just washed camisole I almost fainted…

_**I must… I-I must save them…! I must save those innocent people!**_

Even when centipede mononoke extended one of her hands to my gash and stuck two of her fingers inside it, and I felt her blade claws tearing the flesh even more, I made no sound… even when she inserted her tongue in my bloody body and stained her mouth and cheeks with my crimson life looking obviously for something… I made no sound.

And I sought that feeling, that power within me…

I sought it closing my eyes and focusing on the feeling I got when that bright pink light spread through my body…

_**So warm…**_

That warmth reach every corner and every end of my body, tickled the inside of her flesh, made me forget the pain and I felt it coming.

I didn't know how I get it to come, but suddenly I was engulfed by a pink brightness that quickly scared the Mukade mononoke away.

IT didn't occurred me thought, she still having her jaw teeth buried inside my flesh-maybe because assaulted by my own power I didn't felt my gouge loosing blood madly and pooling being absorbed in the hard soil, that when she leaped in agony of the burning purification and lift her entire body from the ground where she had before ravished my flesh I'd go with her, angling from her strong jaw…

And with the lost I concentration my power waned, and the pain come back, only much more stronger… much more agonizing, in the edge of unbearable, it shot through out her entire body, making it recoil and spasm all at the same time, when I looked down at where Mukade centipede held me I could see the blazed flesh of her shoulder falling into pieces that would disintegrate before reaching the ground.

She had no arms anymore.

Moreover I could see she was livid, furious, she cried out one of that razor sharp yelps that instead of piercing only my head pierced through my body two with the vibration, I realized with it that the inside of the Mukade mouth was scorching and that she didn't have a tongue anymore. All her mouth area was burned, but her fangs were still clinging to her flesh and she shook her head.

A Hama no ya scrapped her slimy hair and she screamed in frustration.

This time however she forgot she had me on her scorched mouth and she let me fall.

A faint pop was heard trough the meadow and when I looked down to the night. I saw a round jewel, pink and bright on the ground, tainted in me sticky crimson blood.

Then I crashed again.

Beaten and bloody, with less blood on my body that I was sure to have sprawled in the meadow, I was about to forget every and any conscient thoughts and drift off to a welcoming sleep.

I didn't realize it was de shadows and darkness that were pulling me towards giving up because I was ready to…

Until I heard him.

Fro just across me I heard a growl, and when I looked up in what I thought would be a ultimate gesture I for moments expected to see a dog… maybe a hound from hell…but not that, no.

From afar, where the men still try to restrain the Mukade mononoke, I heard Kaede screaming to get back, to run.

I didn't understand though… what did she mean? I was safe right? Whatever it was that the youkai wanted had gotten out of me… and I was ready to doze forever… she wouldn't come after me… would she?

Then why did she sound so concerned and urgent?

That was when I noticed that the unkind growl that was heard in front of me, was not from a dog… Well it was and it wasn't.

You see when I opened my eyes and looked up, I couldn't help myself to admire Goshinboku and its large trunk bathed in silver moonlight.

That wasn't the only thing silver around there.

Just in front of me, I saw with a pain expression, silky strand of longer than mine hair, whipping like crazy leaves in the wind. But this wind it was no natural thing.

There wasn't such air passing that it would made this hair whip in such a way..

And when I looked at Inuyasha's face…

He had his fangs bared at me, in a threatening scowl, and his eyes were open.

Eyes of a bright amber, chips of gold dancing around his iris, trying to merge with it, creating a golden-brown halo around it.

They're the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen.


	2. Inuyasha

**Disclaimer: **This author owns not the Inu-tachi characters, however in the path of world's conquest, she will come to own them. For now they belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

**Risaishi**

**Chapter**** 2-Inuyasha **

_(__The lost love story and the kotodama no nenju)_

_**There was a time in this world that my only concern was to prove to my ani-ue that I wasn't worthless.**_

_**There was a time before that I only desired to run away from those who despised me and my mixed blood, and later and desired to be able to defeat them.**_

_**There was a time when I was just Inuyasha and my worries all regarded myself.**_

_**That was a long time ago.**_

_**Now, I thought while I looked far in the horizon, I had promises to keep to someone.**_

Kikyou…

_**Kikyou should be here by now… didn't she promise we'd use the jewel today? She did… she promised me…**_

_**Then a thought occu**__**rred me and fear installed from my stomach to my whole body.**_

_**Had she changed her mind?**_

_**We were in love, she couldn't change her mind. I was going to let go all for Kikyou…**_

_**Although I was hanyou, my human side offered me nothing but weakness…**_

_**But my youkai side, that was all I ever had wanted, to be youkai, like ani-ue… like my chichi, I had – although I was the bastard child – a place in the Inu youkai clan as a prince and although neither Seshomarou – the new white lord, the Inu-no-Taisho, the Tai Youkai -neither I, wanted me to take it, I still had it. My strength, my claws, my developed senses… this all came from my youkai side. **_

_**Although I loved **__**haha-ue, because she loved me , and always stood by me, the youkai part of chichi that I never really saw was the one who gave me the strength to protect myself…**_

_**I was giving that up to become human and live with Kikyou… to marry her.**_

_**Because she… she had accepted me.**_

_**I met Kikyou not a very long time ago. Maybe one year or so, maybe less. At least all I wanted was the shikon no tama, and she was the miko who guarded it. **_

_**I was the hanyou, the sully hanyou who was going to rob her.**_

_**But she always knew I was there in the trees looking at her, mesmerized by her infinite beauty, her rouge lips remembered me of haha-ue…**_

_**She always wore the miko clothes, and she had a younger sister, Kaede.**_

_**I didn't knew I had fallen **__**in love with her until one day she asked me to descend the tree and very gently asked me why did I want the shikon no tama.**_

_**I told her the truth with a "keh!" and turned my face. She sighed and said "I see".**_

_**She then pointed her Hama no ya at me her yumi as tall as she was and pinned me to the three by the sleeves of me fire rat red coat.**_

_**That was all it all started.**_

_**From there on, we started to eat together, in her humble house. But what could I say about houses? I had lived in haha-ue's fallen noble family's house, but all too soon I forgot about how it was. I never entered chichi's house. That is where Sesshoumaru lives…the bastard.**_

_**Soon we had built dreams. We wanted to be together.**_

_**When she told me that, it was the first time, since haha-ue's death I felt love again.**_

_**I kissed her tenderly, softly, and she sighed against my lips.**_

_**And although no one in the Area knew she was with me, an she did tried to hide me… and although it hurt me, I couldn't say I wouldn't change for her…**_

Kikyou… I loved you...

_**Kikyou was the first woman I loved**__** in that way . I felt almost an unbearable need to be near her, and to hold her, although I could only do that when she demonstrated to be in the mood to cuddle. **_

_**The upper hand was kikyou's… and I didn't care. For all that mattered she could have fastened me a leash and walked me around, I wouldn't have cared, I would have gone willingly.**_

_**I leaped into the ground…where was she anyway? She was ultra late…**_

_**This was our final decision.**_

_**In order to ease our lifes, in order to release ourselves of the state of the hanyou prince and the keeper miko… we'd use the jewel for me to become a human, and then the jewel would be purified and would disappear. And Kikyou and I could be happy together, as normal people.**_

_**She asked me and I accepted in a whim. There was nothing to consider, we loved each other, and we wanted to be together. If to be together, I had to deny my father's blood then so be it.**_

_**Around that time, some weeks ago, it was when she found Onigumo. **_

_**He was a thief, and along with a couple of others, he's burnt an Area down, but they got caught up in the burning flames, and they all died along with the Area's people.**_

_**Except Onigumo.**_

_**A ningen from Kikyou's Area found him in the debris with churned flesh barely clinging to his bones, so he'd brought him to Kikyou, for her to heal him, not knowing he was one of the creeps that had provoked that tragedy. **_

_**Kikyou, took care of him, while I was out, visiting haha-ue's grave. When I arrived I felt something was wrong, but she assure me that all was fine, Onigumo was sleeping in her room while she slept with Kaede in the other Room.**_

_**So yes although I knew he was no good, and he even told Kikyou the story and said he repent all his sins and Kikyou told me, I was reassure for a while.**_

_**Sleeping in the trees, like I had forever since I saw haha-ue dying in a futon…**_

_**As always I left my thought escape to **__**Kikyou.**_

_**How I longed for her… I loved her so much it hurt.**_

_**Before her there had been ningen with youkai fantasies with me. It wasn't like I hadn't urges and of course that I satiated them with them, that so willingly had come to me. But Kikyou…Kikyou was special and if even for a kiss it was so difficult to have it, I imagined that to that stage it would take a long time. But I didn't care because I thought we'd have all the time in the world.**_

_**It was sometime later that I noticed the way Onigumo looked at Kikyou the yearning in his eyes, when he stirred and woke up, and looked at me and Kaede, who almost always accompanied her to feed him, he'd hate us. He'd hate us with his single eye.**_

_**Covered in gauze from head to toe due to the sickening burning flesh that emanated such a foul smell.**_

_**But not Kikyou… to Kikyou he looked with longing… passion.**_

_**It didn't take long for me to get jealous of him. **_

_**But Kikyou almost mocked me, after all he was immobile, and he'd not stay long in this world. So when she started to light some incense (that she well knew my nose couldn't stand) and told me that he was going to die, I went off for a few days, chasing the lost paradise where I had buried haha-ue.**_

_**When I come back, Kikyou didn't talk about Onigumo and she received me at the door.**_

_**I could feel some strange presence inside the house but I didn't touch it to her, she'd be offended if I stated something that she obviously had noticed too. After all she was the most powerful miko that had ever existed till that day… **_

_**She smiled at me and sent me to the clearing she said she'd be there in no time, she'd take the jewel and we'd make our wish.**_

_**We would see our dream come truth. **_

_**We'd be together at last…**_

_**So here I was, waiting for her, I leaped from one of the trees surrounding the clearing into the ground and started pacing. She was late… she was late…**_

_**But I couldn't help to be happy and smile… this was it…**_

_**I'd be loved till the rest of my mortal days, although they seemed very few to me, with Kikyou, they'd be enough…**_

_**I was so deeply in love with her, her kind smile, her brown beautiful eyes, her pale white skin, her rouge lips and long hair…**_

_**She was beautiful and she was going to be …**_

"_**INUYASHA!"**_

_**In a blink I turned around in my military combat boots that so many winters had helped me not to freeze my feet to the point where they had to be chopped off. It wasn't that I liked shoes, in fact I hated them, but I had to admit that they'd been a extremely good help.**_

_**Kikyou paced herself right in front of me, her face twisted in mockery, her yumi proud and tall in front of her, her ya pointed at me.**_

"_**Ki- Kikyou…?" That moment I felt my hackles rise, my temperament flashing to the sky… what was she doing? Why was she doing this…? Wasn't she in love with me? Was that the reason she only kissed me when she wanted, was that the reason she had the upper hand in our relationship? Didn't she want a life together?**_

_**Her smile widened, it was a grin of hate of scorn.**_

_**I felt my anger rise again. She tried to fire the first arrow and incredibly she failed.**_

_**That was weird… why had she failed? Kikyou never failed her target…Two more ya were shot at me until I made my decision.**_

_**It was pretty obvious Kikyou had deceived me, she didn't love me, she didn't want the same thing as I… she didn't even want to take my sacrifice of offering her my youkai side…she hated me… she mocked me and my love for her…**_

_**And has a hand constricted against my heart squeezing it not so gently, and tear prickled my eyes, I ran to the Shinto shrine intending on grabbing the jewel and as I first wanted … become full youkai…Avenge my stupidity…**_

Why Kikyou? Why did you betray me?

_**But the climax had yet to come.**_

_**While I reached the shrine grounds, and turned off the screams of terrified persons around me. **_

"_**Youkai! A Youkai!" **_

_**They screamed in panic**_

_**-Not yet- I thought with a scowl and entered the small building. The incense and the pure air that reeked of the Hama no Ya that had just now been shot at me burned my eyes while I entered the small building. I reached the jewel that dangled from a necklace made of sakura blossoms and grinned evilly…**_

_**It was mine now…**_

_**I would be Tai youkai… I would defeat Sesshoumaru; I would be as strong as chichi-ue… I would forget all about Kikyou.**_

_**I ran away from there, away and away until I reached Goshinboku.**_

_**And the same thing she had just screamed filled my ears.**_

_**My name.**_

"_**INUYASHA!!"**_

_**But this time she didn't missed her target. She looked tired… I noticed. Maybe she had tried to run from the forest here? Yeah maybe. Her yumi trembled in her hands and she looked in anger, more than before, as if she had realized something that truly angered her that broke her heart.**_

_**I couldn't but to ask in a whisper full of anguish and thick saliva in the back of my throat as the jewel slipped from my fingers. **_

_**Why? Why did you betray me?**_

_**That was my last coherent thought when I looked to my chest and saw the purifying arrow stick deep into my chest her miko powers, I knew, would put me forever into sleep. Oddly it didn't hurt as much as I thought… it didn't hurt as much as betrayal…**_

A scent assaulted my nose.

Actually it wasn't _one _scent … There was a lot of them…the scent of the forest… of the Area I so well knew…the scent of ningen and gunpowder… were they fighting? Then a scent of Mukade youkai crushed over me and I tried to hear what I knew she was say… but all I heard was a wretched high pitched wail and I didn't understand why until the scent of burned youkai flesh hit my nose and I smelled… the purifying powers that had just sealed me…

Kikyou…

Kikyou had sealed me… why was I awaking …?

I was awake yes but I absolutely couldn't move…

I felt the shikon no tama and when I opened my eyes, although it took a while to see properly, when I looked to the ground there it was the pinkish white orb covered in blood… blood?

I scented the air again, and it hit me forcefully. Blood yes, from a woman…

Rage blinded me, as I saw that woman come crashing to my feel, bloody beaten…

There were gashes along her body, her entire side covered in blood… she was using strange colors and strange attire for her…

For what I scented was the scent that I had once loved.., and now… now I was decided to hate…But her hair was shorter and she seemed smaller.

_**I can smell it… the scent of the women who sealed me!**_

Kikyou…

A baba screamed from a far for her to withdraw from there, from near me…but she couldn't move I think… The Mukade Jurou was struggling with an arrow that had struck her in her chest.

She lifted her head and I cringed at her wounds, her bottom lip was broken and in her temple there was a deep gouge pouring blood to her cheek.

But I couldn't allow myself to be concerned with her… right? She had sealed me after she said she loved me… she was treacherous bitch, she deserve to die… for making me believe I was worthy of something and then crush that hope.

So I smiled in mock like she had done and ask her after holding back the snarl and growl I hadn't even realized I was offering her.

"What's with that face Kikyou? What's wrong? Can't you beat a wimpy Mukade youkai?"

She looked at me strangely, even cocked her head and opened her mouth slightly, as if she hadn't the slightest idea of what I was talking about… why was she doing this? She knew what she had done right?? She knew…

"Kikyou…? I'm not Kikyou…"

She looked very irritated and that wasn't a look I was used to see on kikyou's face, the vulgar irritation, of life. She never wore such a mask… but she was wearing it now… what about it…? She was here and I had to get her, to revenge…

I tried to release myself but I couldn't move at all, the roots of Goshinboku had hold one to me… hugged me close as if pleading with me to stay, but I didn't want to stay. I anted to shred her to pieces, I wanted to avenge me, I wanted to make her pay for breaking me.

Suddenly though, my thoughts were cut by the shriek of joy from the Mukade jurou. She advanced had been able of stretching her neck and rip of the Hama no ya – which the power couldn't compare to kikyou's that would have killed it in a blink – and advancing quickly to the ground where the shikon-no tama was.

"Kikyou do something!"

I raged against the girl in front of me, again she looked at me unnerved, irritated, and confused. She took her hand to her side and I couldn't help but blink when I saw that her camisole was ripper from the hem to the collar bone and her bra was at sight…but her side… it was still pouring blood and as much as I didn't want to be concerned I couldn't help it.

But before I could do or say something the Mukade mononoke swallowed the jewel.

Her features became more animalistic and her torso skin darkened… I suppressed a grown, her burned limps, her six arms grew back, larger I imagined, huge seriously clawed and dangerous, and red striped grew in her cheeks reaching the corners of her mouth that stretched so that her now huge fangs could fit inside it.

Her hair swiveled around her, hand her eyes turned to bright scarlet, a single black iris in the three of them counting with the strange third eye.

Through the whole transformation she let out agonized shrieks and twisted in the air. The end of her disgusting tail spinning, tossing around ningen and breaking tree trunks.

But when it ended, Centipede Jurou let out a cry of a victory and came for Kikyou… and for me.

She wrapped her tail around Goshinboku and, Kikyou crushed against me. The scent of blood clogged my senses.

"Why haven't you killed it yet Kikyou?"

"I already told you I am not Kikyou! Uhh"

She answered me with a faint voice and yet it was determinate, coughed some blood aside and tears clogged her eyes. Looking back to the ningen she let those tears stop.

"She's going to hurt them…I have to help them"

She miserably cried, and that was why she had grunted…This wasn't nothing like Kikyou though… why was she crying over her ningens instead of had already killed the stupid thing with a Hama no ya, a shot, her hands… anything… but not cry… never cry.

"Why are crying bitch? Just finished him already just like you did me…!"

I screamed to her, fuck now that I had woken up, I'd die here? No way, I wanted the shikon-no tama and I'd have it. I'd be the Tai youkai I'd always had dreamt of being…

Why was Kikyou crying?

Then she hold her head high one more time, leaning her chin against my chest and her voice was rasp and more angry than ever, but somehow… it didn't seem Kikyou now that I looked really well to her…

Something was awfully wrong…

She looked much younger, her eyes were from a different hue of brown that kikyou's peaceful one's, she held a deep passion a strength so raw I didn't ever think I saw…even bloody and broken like she was she screamed at me again.

"I TOLD YOU I'M NOT THIS KIKYOU PERSON! MY NAME IS KAGOME… **KA-GO-ME!**"

No, she truly wasn't Kikyou… then why did she look so much like her? Why were their scents…?

I drowned my nose in her hair and breathe in. No she didn't smell like Kikyou… it was somehow like kikyou's scent and at the same time it was so different it made me take my nose out of her wavy onyx tresses… kikyou's hair was straight and longer…. Who was this bitch then? And why could I feel from her the same amount of spiritual powers – if not more I realized with an inwardly gasp- than Kikyou? She wasn't Kikyou… okay…but maybe… maybe she could set me free… maybe she could pull this damned arrow out.

As the tail of the sadistic Mukade youkai began to tighten around Goshinboku, and around us, I gasped as she began to quake, to shudder in fear. She truly wasn't Kikyou… showing her fear? Kikyou wouldn't ever do that.

"Listen girl."

She looked at me with half-lidded eyes but her lips were pursed together in a non happy way.

"Can you pull out this arrow?"

She looked at me with a strange face as if she was pondering and longing at the same time, I didn't understood, nor did I have to. She just had to pull the arrow out and I'd be free, I'd crash this stupid lower youkai and the shikon no tama would be mine… at last…My greed yelled to me that I had to reach it now and for that I needed this girl.

"Kagome, no! You must not do it!!"

A voice that I didn't know and a scent that I was vaguely aware that I _should _know, appeared and I notices it was that baba. What did she want anyway? What did she _know_? How long had I been into this tree? For how long had I remained seized in Shinto magic, forgotten to the world to the people... who would care anyway. Mother was dead, and father was too. Kikyou had betrayed me… and Seshomarou wouldn't give a crap. In fact he'd much prefer if she had killed me.

So who was that baba that was shouting to the kid crushed to me, 16 maybe 17 years old, who was she that I knew her scent but didn'0t knew her face, why couldn't I remember who she was? Why?

"Shut the fuck up!"

I rasped to the baba. And then disguising my anger, I spoke in a monotone.

"Bitch, take this fucking arrow from my chest and I'll get us both out of here. If not you'll die."

I hear her sharp intake of breath and I knew I had won. She was terrified I head her whisper

_I don't want to die here…_

Jealousy crossed my mind for a second because she had somewhere to go and I didn't all I had, was this forest… this trees…

"Hurry up wench! Or you'll get eaten!"

I tried to taunt her… to fill her little head with dreadful images of pools of blood and piles of loins, but the answer she gave me, stunned me, I always flinched with her much stronger tone.

"You have a big mouth, but are you good at fighting? Can you save them?"

"Keh I'll save no one but me, and kill that Mukade jurou."

The tail of the latter, tensed again and its hold become unbearable tightened, the little girl tensed and gasped … then she pondered for no more than a second a looked at my eyes.. this was weird, she had to had noticed I was no ordinary ningen… she should be aware that I was hanyou… - After all she was a miko too - more than disgusted she should be terrified! And yet she wasn't… I could see she was relying on me… actually relying on me… and all she wanted was to be able to save the ningen of this Area?

Why would she do that?

Couldn't she tell she was loosing too much blood? Her face was growing paler and paler by the minute. Still he looked me in the eyes and nodded.

"That's good enough"

And she extended her hand to the wood shaft in my chest… When she touched it, I wailed in pain, all the dormant magic pinched my body and she closed her eyes in concentration, the last word I heard her say before the bright light of the shredded ya engulfed us was…

"Onegai, Kami-sama…"

Was this girl that naïve? How could it be that all she wanted was to save this ningen? She didn't even smell from here, she wore strange clothes; she was obviously a gaijin… why was she doing this for them then…?

When the weapon completely left my body, the bright light left us dispersing in the air, and I could feel the strength coming back to my limbs, I crackled my knuckles and revealed in the sensation of power that coursed though my veins.

I howled in satisfaction and with a single blow, holding the girl to me I shredded Mukade jurou's tail.

"SANKOTESSOU!"

That high pitched piercing wail came to my ears again as I leaped from the Goshinboku roots that had hugged my body and landed in a fat chuck of tail. But Centipede Jurou wasn't dead… oh no, she squirmed in the ground but the chunk under my boots flew to her as the others and the slime in it quickly cling it back together. She drew out a nasty laugh and faced me.

Behind me the girl eyes us intently, was she making sure I got read of this nuisance?

Keh! Like a cared!

"I heard there was a hanyou brat Inuyasha that was after the jewel, are you this Inuyasha person?"

I smirked a bit, so she had heard about me had she?

"None of your business Mukade! Fight me!"

She laughed again, her tone guttural.

And shrugged her upper shoulders, her arms drawing to the side in nonchalance.

"you're just a hanyou, what can you do? I'm a full youkai, and… I possessed what you wanted fifty years ago…"

Fifty whole years ago huh? My anger flooded my throat and my brain.

For fifty years I had been bound to this tree, forgot and betrayed for fifty fucking years?

When that Kikyou bitch was all happy running around in her dream of being a normal woman, with some other guy?

A growled issued in, my throat.

"Treacherous bitch!" I whimpered to myself only, but the girl behind me, looked at me with a funny look. Had she heard me?

"Keh! Don't underestimate me centipede Jurou! I'm not like the others!"

She laughed again, scorn her powerful voice and finally my anger clogged me entirely. Tainting me in a animalistic Growl that came from the depths of my soul.

Advancing over her she opened her huge mouth and tried to catch me but it was too late, my claws were already bloodied from been carving them in the palm of my hand

"Sayonara Mukade-baba!"

I answered with vicious grin as in leap I landed with brut strength in her tail, meters ahead, my booths entering her body splitting it and creating a hole in it, blood clung to my leather shoes and, without letting her talk or wail I screamed

"HIJINTESSOU"

That scream, the scream of death, that rejoiced in its new found body, the one of the Mukade centipede, brushed every leaf in the meadow and all the birds and wildlife- I heard and saw- left that space in a whim. And the body of the fallen Mukade mononoke lay limp in the ground.

The girl behind me gasped at the body of the Mukade mononoke and I couldn't help but to star at those people who held her machine guns close to them but weren't aiming them at me… that was weird… why weren't they?

That old baba that had screamed for the girl behind me not to free me , gazed at me in wonder and pain at the same time… her clothes… she wore the suikan and the hakama of a miko…

_**Kikyou…**_

I was almost sure I knew her and her scent but I still couldn't discern who was it… she was someone I had known in the past in this same Area…

_**Who are you?**_

I wanted to ask, but then I remembered something much more important…

The shikon no tama… I had to get them before those persons…

But when I turned around I lost a kid who had just now arrived giving something to the baba and he hide it under her suikan..

Near the cut and bloody body of centipede jurou, that had hunks of flesh cut all around her, stood that girl in a torn camisole with a strange collar, her skirt was of a pure purple the color of the sunset, of twilight… it wasn't a much used color though. Why was she wearing them?

She bent her knees and kneaded at the naked upper body of the deceased youkai. I saw her cringe in pain one of her hands resting at her side, where from breast to hips she had blood smeared all over. Her other hand came forward and I understood what she was doing…

_**Think you can have the shikon no tama uh**__** bitch?**_

Fat chance, the jewel was mine; I was the one who had a purpose to it… not her, no some weakling ningen.

"Bitch, take you fucking hands from that flesh. I hunted it! It's my game!"

"Well baka…"

She replied – and that for itself amazed me not to talk about what she called me… - and continued not facing me until her hand closed around something. I didn't even had to think twice about what it was, because she actually opened her palm and furrowed her thin eyebrows at the sphere.

"The youkai is all yours…"

She answered in a dulled tone that I realized was controlling her voice due to the lack of strength in her… I smirked this was the perfect time to give her a blow and run with the shikon no tama…

"Woman…"

She had begun to approach the Area people and consequently me. The orb clasped tightly in her fingers.

Ningen no baka… she thought she could protect it from me? I almost laugh at the thought of that girl, younger than me, much younger, taking something or protecting something from me.

She was tiny…

"Don't be stupid and give me that."

A growl trembling in my lips, my fangs bared to her… she stepped back… Fear in her eyes and in her scent… That's right, this was how she should have reacted at me in the first time…a cruel glint in my eyes and she drew one more step back and shook her head vehemently.

_**No?**_

She was denying me the jewel after I just slaughtered that lower youkai to have it? I growled laughter and crackled my knuckles just in front of my chest, she flinched and I smirked again.

This girl was a paradox. She was afraid and yet she didn't do what was correct to her… what would perhaps spare her life…

She looked around her bloody face set in a scowl and she took a sharp intake of breath I heard that word again and that surprised me for a bit.

"Onegai…Onegai…"

What was she asking please? Why? Then I noticed the tension in her legs and understood, again her courage and foolishness shocked me… she was getting ready to run? Hadn't she seen that I was much faster than any ningen? Was she insane?

And just like that she began to run.

I let out for the first time, in what had been fifty years, a howl of laughter and leaped into the trees chasing her.

Long gone was the clearing and the Area ningen, I was actually having a lot of fun I just wish I hadn't my booths now to savor the feeling of wild wood beneath my feet, but the sensation the wind on my face brought was enough, although I wasn't running nearly as fast I could and loved, this ningen – even hurt and tired – ran fast and she never ever let out of her hand the Shikon no tama.

He was going to chase her until she got so tired she' throw herself to the ground and beg him for mercy, and she'd give him…willingly give him the shikon no tama.

Besides all that he was furious. His anger rising more and more in each jump he gave.

How dare she have her face?

How dare this little girl this simple girl have Kikyou's face? How could she?

She was nothing like Kikyou, she couldn't have her face!

She couldn't be like Kikyou she wasn't her!

Or maybe she was.

Maybe she was like the Kikyou he had met only once in what he thought would be the end of his life… the bitch the evil onna that had betrayed him and sealed him. Maybe she was the evil demoness that had crushed his heart and stomp on it…

She leaped to the ground and she ran faster.

"Stop!"

She yelled over her shoulder, but she was slowing… the hand that gripped her side tightened and she moaned in pain. She started to bend her body, her speed more and more sluggish and I – consumed in rage- increased mine, until I was almost able to catch her.

We had gotten to a bridge a stone bridge over a small river that I remembered ran to a larger one…. We had gotten pretty close to the Area again in mere seconds…

She stopped and I stopped like thirty inches away from her. She narrowed her eyes in accusation

"Why are you doing this? Leave me alone!"

I did the same to my eyes and I saw that she never ever averted her gaze from me, as if she was mesmerized… Yeah right mesmerized by a Hanyou! I see I've come back with jokes no doubt…

I walked one step forward and she drew one backwards really quick with a smothered gasp.

"You choose not to hand over the shikon no tama bitch?"

My tone low, as if I was giving her to choose the most important decision in her life… and maybe… maybe I was.

"I can't give it to you…"

She said looking the shikon no tama with understanding, as if she was sensing the jewel, she looked absorbedly at the gold sphere and repeated her previous statement,

My anger rose again, how was she reading the jewel? Why was she doing that? Of course such a powerful object didn't want to be tamed, but that didn't really matter to me, I would have what I wanted. I growled warningly her. She shook her head no. I took one more step and this time she didn't drew one back, she didn't look at me again until I crackled my knuckles trying really hard not to concentrate in the way she looked with Kikyou... that would be wrong…I couldn't care for nor did I want to… I wanted to kill her and take the shikon no tama, no matter who she looked like…her breath slowed as if something was reassuring her and she nodded. My claws raked my white wool turtle neck camisole I smiled as I leapt.

But in the air in a crouch with my right hand drew bridge wards, I noticed she wasn't in the slightly curved construction anymore. The bubbles in the water and the shadow of her midnight hair and light purple skirt drew my attention and I had her. Landing in the bridge seeing it was too late to change course. I waited until she got to her feet and smirked again, again my knuckles snapper and I took one step back for balance.

She looked at me with sheer fear in her face, and where that expression should have comforted me, it was oddly unpleasant… maybe it was because I was seeing it in kikyou's face?

_**No…**_

I hated that bitch that couldn't be… couldn't be…

She flinched as she saw me ready to jump over her and I said one last time.

"give me the shikon no tama wench! I mean it, I'll kill you!"

She didn't answer but clutched the jewel closer to her chest the soaked clothes clinging to her body and I made myself ignore how she looked like in the ethereal glint of moon in the wet skin and midnight hair reaching the back of her body plastered to her, and eyes drew upwards she uttered that nuisance of a word, that disturbing thought again…

"Onegai… Kami-sama…Onegai…"

That words alone stopped me again… she was asking mercy… she was really terrified… she was praying I noticed…

She wasn't Kikyou no… Kikyou would have killed me in an instant. I could feel the power oozing from her, her aura a beautiful thing tinged in white. She had the purest aura I'd ever seen, purer than Kikyou, purer than my mothers… as pure as an innocent child…

Why didn't she kill me then? I couldn't understand she had enough power for that… she had enough power to purify Seshomarou! Why didn't she do it?

Something in my body didn't move as the words of the person I most cherished in the world flew back to me permeated my thought for the tiniest part of a second…

"_**Inuyasha no chichi-ue, always said to me that he found love between battle, Inu-chan"**_

I didn't comprehend why I was remembering such words… those in particular were very painful because had been the last my mother had uttered… and what had that to do with this bitch and her hold on the shikon no tama?

Banishing all silly thoughts from my head, I advanced again, the silly girl was again looking at me, her eyes pleading, but I wouldn't be hold no more…

No woman would ever deceive again, and leaping high in the sky I was distracted by the feeling of strong miko energy against my neck and when I looked down I had a nenju resting against my collar bones. Looking behind me I saw the baba again and she had a very concentrated scowl on her face her forefinger and middle finger of her right hand drew together against her face and her thumb was too tensed and curved molding itself between the curves of her old wrinkled lips.

Still with the Kotodama no neju in my fingers the old hag screamed at Kagome that was watching startled.

"Kagome say the subjugation word now! With that he can't hurt you!"

She looked at us both and trembled a bit…

"Subjugation…?"

She repeated the word the baba had used and my mind finally snapped… what the fuck... Subjugating? Me? Ah! I see they've jokes, as if these miserable beads could hold me!

I saw the girl opening her mouth

She really asked - _what should I say? - _I was told later, but at the moment I only though that she was going to say something to _subjugate _me or whatever that meant…and I surely didn't want that… so I really leapt this time, ready to sharpen my claws on her.

"Oh no, you don't!"

When she heard my shout though she furrowed her brows and looked mad… again it was a vulgar irritation, one that Kikyou never showed one that I could see it suit her nicely stinging her cheeks red and she pursed her lips, Well I didn't care… she could shove her irritation and her subjugation where …When she opened her lips she cut off my thoughts as she uttered that word… the word I never ever, in my whole life would forget…

And I don't life so little time as ningen…

"**OSUWARI!"**

And I came quickly flying downwards with a deafening crash.

My heart exploded inside my cranium and my whole body went tender and sore.

If my head wasn't cushioned in the rock of that construction I'd have seen Kagome's preoccupied expression while she advanced at me with water to her knees, and the old hag's smug satisfied expression.


	3. Double K

**Disclaimer: **This author owns not the Inu-tachi characters, however in the path of world's conquest, she will come to own them. For now they belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

_Authors note:_This author comes by this mean inform that this chapter was written without POV. And again she remembers to the _ningen _reader that he should review, or else Toukijiin will serve its purpose.

Also the quote I used when Kagome's singing belongs to "Dearest" Song lyrics, and this author by no means owns any aspect of it. They belong for now to Hamasaki Ayumi. That quote means _"It would be nice if we could put away and throw out everything except what really mattered, but reality is just cruel."_

Humph!

_Enjoy_

**Risaishi**

**Chapter 3 –Double K**

_(__The faux betrayal and similarities)_

"Bitch… what the fuck did you just say? You told me to sit?"

Those were Inuyasha's _kind _words to Kagome when the spell of the kotodama no neju wore off and he glared at the all wet midnight haired girl, who had hold until then a worried gaze.

"do you think I'm a lap dog?! I'll rip you to shreds!"

She glared at him harder, until a mischievous glint cut in and she said with a smug expression.

"Come and get me then"

Consumed by his rage of being humiliated… told to sit, being subjugated by a bitch nonetheless. He leaped to the land, scrawny and scarce grass tickling his feet.

As soon as he was on the ground he repented it. She made a smug face intertwined her fingers behind her back and shot up her chin smugly.

"Osuwari"

Again he flew to the floor, his face smashed in the cold hard soil. His whole body was aching, who did this bitch think she was to send him flying to the floor?

When the spell wore off he found her looking at him with a funny look, as is she was concerned and tried to tug the nenju off of his neck. It wouldn't past his nose level.

"What the fuck did you put me on baba?"

"You can pretend it's a collar"

He heard the young girl still covered in damped and ripped clothes mumbling.

Kagome obviously hadn't noticed yet that he was Inu-youkai and would hear her mumble twenty miles away. Sort of.

"Bitch I can hear you… you better start thinking about taking this necklace out of me…"

She reacted oddly at his growl, shrugged in nonchalance and kept walking weakly behind everybody, her whole body hurt from the constant and repetitive attacks and she really couldn't muster how in the hell she couldn't still walk, or even talk for that matter . A small boy came near her and looked at her earnestly. He was no more than 5 years, holding to her a stomped flower he said

"Arigatou Gozaimasu, Kagome-sama, for helping to save our Area"

And he bent his body from the waist with his arms pressed to his sides.

Kaede smiled and walking the final path to her area she looked down at Inuyasha and Kagome… wondering inwardly what had been his first reaction when he saw someone so much like Kikyou Onee-Sama and yet so different…

Kagome smiled and ruffled the boy's pitch black hair and took the flower carefully as if she didn't want to ruin the already ruined blossom.

"Domo Arigatou for the flower."

Inuyasha seemed surprised by her tone. That flower was twisted and some petals were brown, she was dirty and wet and sweaty and very, very hurt and yet her tone was a soft caress a proof of kindness. So much that the boy smiled and carefully wrapped a hand around her leg, and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Is Kagome-sama going to be okay?"

She giggled a bit, and again the sound stunned him, he could see the tiredly expression on her face but she didn't falter, and her hand fell in the boy's cheek making him face her. Then she gave him the most amazing smile and cocked her head a bit.

"Hai osanago!"

Her sweet tone and endearment term took him off guard. Why was she being so nice…? She was hurt and tired she almost had the right to be rude. As they entered the Area, a second later he couldn't help but hear the elder's murmurs.

"_Is that Kikyou-sama? Has our miko returned?"_

"_Miko-sama… how?!"_

So he wasn't the only one seeing the resemblance between her and his lost love… a heavy sigh born from his chest made his way lethargically through his lips.

"It's not like she did anything."

He said looking up at the sky, not wanting to face once again her angry expression, he felt the kids eyes boring into her skull and then into his though. But he didn't heard or sensed anything from her. He almost cringed when he thought that maybe she was going to osuwari him again…

But when he looked to this side over his shoulder she was smiling at the child and talking in a hushed tone in the boy's hear.

When she finished she smiled tenderly at the boy her side being painfully gripped by her hand, has her face began to be devoid of color… he stopped walking for a millisecond until he felt a tug on his Hi nezumi coat. When he looked down, the kid that barely reached his thighs was looking intimidated at him, almost afraid, but still he bowed deeply like he had done to the girl and stated very quickly.

"Arigatou Gozaimasu Inuyasha-Sama"

He froze. How long had it been since he heard someone use an honorific with his name? A respectful one? Only Myouga used it with him… And why did he seem so transfixed by looking at his powerfull claws and bloodied booths? He felt heat prickle at his cheeks and turned his head to the opposite side. His response was the most standard one when he was embarrassed, although he'd never, ever tell someone that.

"Keh!"

And he continued walking. Two things made him stop at one.

The first was that when every one of the men that had been in the forest to help the old hag began to disperse and followed their paths to their one houses – (that Inuyasha noticed were very little as always and weren't a lot he could only spot maybe 10 new houses, and that had to be very little, seeing that the last time he had seen these area had been 50 years ago…) He saw that old hag walking in front of him and stopping in front of a house he knew all to well. Kikyou's house.

_**I have to get the shikon no tama… I have to get it; I need to avenge my foolishness. I want to become a full youkai…I want to forget Kikyou… if only I was more powerfull I would be able to forget all about her… I think**_

Another heavy sigh was heard by only him coming from him own body, separating the next event.

She was just so tired, that after bowing to that little kid and kneading to tell him to go thank to Inuyasha too that had consumed all of her energy she took great comfort in seeing Kaede grabbing her yumi and stopping in front of what she vaguely remembered to be her house, she noticed Inuyasha stiffened and shudder, he uttered a heavy smile, that she knew – but didn't knew how- was meant for him only to hear.

With a faint smile she let her legs wobble a bit; her first foot slipping and she closed her eyes to come fluttering towards the cement ground amazed with cold dirt like she was a feather rocked by the gentle wind.

She wasn't conscious anymore, when Inuyasha with inhuman speed turned around and let her fall into his arms instead of harshly dropping to the floor.

"Keh! Stupid bitch! No time for fainting now…!"

"Come Inuyasha!"

The old hag's voice came to him again with familiarity and he still couldn't quite place it. Who was this baba? Why did her scent felt like this to him? He saw she had a fond smile in her lips, landing her eyes on the wet unaware girl in his arms.

Her arms spread behind her torso, towards the ground. He had to slap himself internally when he noticed the curves of her bosom being enhanced drastically by the wet attire.

_**What the hell I'm doing… noticing how this girl …is?**_

This wasn't right; he wasn't supposed to be doing this right? She was his enemy… pacing quietly to the door that Kaede held open to him he forgot all about the girl in his arms to face something that obviously belonged to his past. He wondered how could he had slept for fifty years and didn't feel that the whole betrayal had happened just now… he seemed oddly distant… Though it still hurt like the first time, the pain didn't well anymore; it was static, motionless, only tearing his insides as ever.

He couldn't understand why he wasn't looking madly for Kikyou to push her to finish what she had started or to take revenge.

It didn't feel it had just happen and it should feel like it… after all since that moment, fifty years had passed but he didn't acknowledged them, he hadn't aged a day, everything had stood stoic unmoving, as if time had stopped, then this incident with a girl who so much resembled Kikyou, and at the same time she was so completely different.

This house brought thousand of memories that made him flinch and awake the numbness in him. He suddenly felt a urge to cry and although he'd never do it he wondered why.

He'd never had time to suffer because of kikyou's betrayal, his temperament had taken the best out of him and he hadn't suffered. Inuyasha had chosen to be angry, to be furious, not that anger or tears changed anything… she had still betrayed him.

Kaede looked at him a bit confused, her long ponytail reaching her waist in a strange slim silver river.

"Will you not enter?"

He "keh'ed" at her question and advanced again. Seeing her take off her zori sandals, he balanced the girl softly to the ground and sat on a step to take of his very bloody booths. He reached the girl and took her penny loafers, his eyes lingering in the lines of her knees and thighs…

Shaking his head heatedly, something that Kaede didn't miss although she didn't quite understand the young man – that was very much older than herself – action, he pulled Kagome to his shoulder and walked without the old hag telling him where.

This was Kikyou's house, but her scent no longer lingered…Her scent was forgotten to these walls. What he found was in her room, in kikyou's room where Onigumo had once been, the scent of the old hag… and in which should be Kaede the little girl's room he found a very fresh scent of Kagome. She had been there before…

What in the world did this mean?

Not knowing which room to enter he waited for the hag to come forward, and when she did she entered the room that as he knew had been Kaede's…

The girl in his arms stirred and he let her down to the futon in the middle of the small room as she stiffened and relax constantly.

She then let her lids flutter and her lashes batted once twice she fully opened her eyes. She closed them mid-way her gaze become half-lidded and she looked at Kaede with her legs tucked nicely behind her bottom like any decent lady.

"Kaede obaa-chan… I'm sorry I fell asleep"

She still had the shikon-no tama jewel in her hand grasped as tightly as she could, her knuckles white. She then looked at Inuyasha who, when she had said the old woman's name, stiffened and lowered his chin to his chest and breathed in a large puff of air…

"Kaede, uh?"

The old woman looked at him, with a sad smile that miserable expression had come back to her face… Kagome's expression adjusted to that of the old woman's. She felt so sad every time she saw that amount of grief in Kaede's eyes…

"I didn't think you'd remember me, Inuyasha. I was but a mere child when you saw me for the last time, ne?"

Her voice held a derogatory hint and she looked cold and mad for a second, then she just turn her attention to the very young girl in her spare futon and reaching the forgotten bucket of cold water, and with the cloth that she had used before and began cleaning Kagome's face wounds. The gouge in her forehead was deep but not large, and after all the blood that remained from her falling in the water bellow the bridge was cleaned, the wound really didn't look that scary.

The one that did look scary – very much- was the one where the Mukade jurou had buried her jaw teeth and ripped open her flesh to take the shikon no tama out of her body.

Inuyasha looked away, his back against the walls of this so known house and he avoid looking at Kaede pushing the two parts of the cotton camisole the raven haired girl was using and when cleaning the dangerous wound, reveling her flat stomach and full breast. Yes he ignored it.

"So you're the runt… you're pretty old now baba… does that mean that Kikyou's an old hag too?"

His words were tinged with hatred, with anguish, she was supposed to grew old yes, with him by her side, they're supposed to have been happy, but all because she was a bitch, now… now he had nothing to cling to, now he was alone again. Now he had lost every tiny bit of hope that she'd once given to him…

But Kaede looked at him with an odd look and angry confusion shinning in her eyes.

"Kikyou Onee-sama died the day she sealed you"

He couldn't quite understand how words could hurt so much. How an information, a knowledge would tear someone a part…Kikyou was dead.

He couldn't deny it anymore…

Although she had betrayed him and put him, to eternal sleep… Kikyou, Kikyou

Would always be his first love, the woman he had so entirely loved.

And he still loved her. Proof enough of that was the cutting sensation he had received when Kaede – that he had only known as a child – uttered those words. The air lacked in his lungs and the prickling of tears coming again. He held them, his voice feigning detachment, coldness when he spoke. Kagome looked at him, not understanding why he was talking about Kaede's Onee-san that way… he had seemed angry but she didn't understand the complete sadness in his eyes, although his voice didn't show it. She could feel that feeling dancing around him, crackling when it shocked with something else.

"Then the bitch tried to kill me for nothing."

Kaede shot her eyes to the little window above Inuyasha head, her fingers absently scrubbing some yellow goo stuff in the wound in Kagome's side above her hip bone.

It hurt like hell, and the youngster took her fist to her mouth to bite it while she held back moans and cried of displeasure.

Inuyasha was still looking away from the scene, but when he heard her stifled wails his koinu ears flattened against his skull tightly.

He just wanted to tell her to shut hell up.

"You should know, you were the one who inflicted Kikyou onee-sama's last blow"

This time Kaede held nothing but a sheer sadness and loneliness in her tone as she spoke looking at the quarter moon.

But Inuyasha shot to his feet in a blink, Kagome looked scared at him, but he ignored her look, Kaede never once let her position wane, her onyx pained eyes never leaving the moon. Inuyasha growled and bared her his fangs

"What did you just said baba?"

His tone was vicious, as is she had said to him the worst words in the world, as though she offended him deeply.

_**But it makes sense… he tried to kill Kikyou and then she sealed him and died… **_

Kagome's thoughts though, did nothing to appease her, when the tension became almost unbearable.

"I never touched Kikyou! She sealed me! _She_ tried to shot _me_!"

His growl was again vicious he looked like he wanted nothing more than to ram his claws in the old woman and slice her.

_**Is he that animalistic and simplistic? **_

But when she looked into his eyes, Kagome saw such great pain, greater than Kaede's, greater that she had ever seen…as if she had lost the last thing he had to cling on to in his life…

Was that it?

Had he been in love with Kaede's Onee-san? Was he still in love? For him probably, no time had passed…Things had just stopped and had just now started to move, as if he had been in pause mode all of this time.

Tears prickled her nose… if they had been in love why did they attack each other? Inuyasha had stated that Kikyou had "_finished him off_" and Kaede had very clearly said that he had been the one who had killed Kikyou…

What had gone wrong? Did they forget who they were? Did they forget their love? She didn't understand why but she felt a strange connection to … this story to this woman that she had never seen; this woman that she had heard the Area people whispering about…announcing her return, looking at her instead.

Were they that alike?

Maybe they were… if even Inuyasha who had loved this woman had confused for Kikyou…

Why was she so sad all of a sudden?

Inuyasha was still snarling at the old woman and Kaede obaa-chan was looking at him shocked.

"Don't growl at Kaede obaa-chan"

The young beautiful girl raised her upper body, supporting her weight on the elbows and glared at the youkai boy…

"Or else bitch?"

Inuyasha said in a mockery tone. When he understood her mischievous eye glint it was too late. He was on the process of scoffing at her when that dreadful world caught up in his perked ears. He immediately flattened them.

"Osuwari"

And his face came down to make acquaintance with the tatami floor. This time it didn't hurt half as much as it had the first time, but damn she was still a bitch and he was the male, she _couldn't _subjugate him. Bloody Hell! _She_ should submit!

"Ow! Bitch you're going to regret that!"

He growled to the tatami floor but he knew she could hear him… And she did.

"I'm not a bitch!"

"Oh no? You sure look like o…"

"Osuwari"

All the way she wore a tired tone of voice. When the spell wore off before he could say something….

"Inuyasha step out of the room, I have to change Kagome's attire."

Kaede obaa-chan talked smoothly, her polite tone entering Inuyasha's perked and twitching ears and he growled one last time before jump out of the window to outside of the house.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When she woke up the next morning, her whole body was sore as hell. She couldn't move one muscle without have it aching and crying for stillness.

The sun was already high in the sky… she had overslept,,, and she had to get a way of coming back home… quickly. What if the well didn't do anything? What if she was stuck here? She just wanted to return…

She felt dirty and wrinkled her nose when looked at her light yukata clad bandaged body. Hidden by the futon she asked herself if Inuyasha had seen her like this…. When flames licked her cheeks she refrained herself of thinking such things ever again. He was a man, a grown man and she shouldn't think things like those of him… Besides she couldn't forget that pained expression that had tensed up in Inuyasha's face last night.

When the all subject came back to her she remember the story of Tsukiyomi and Hoshiyomi, the ningen and youkai lovers who had ended up torn apart because of a misunderstood… This was the story that Okaa-san always told her to make her always rely in the good part of people.

Could history repeat itself with similar consequences?

She sighed.

She obviously needed a bath and so, with great pain she got up and looked at her smashed body.

_**I feel like I've been hit by a bus a truck a car and a bike all at the same time**_

Her feelings, hadn't they be so true, would've made her laugh. But if she laughed it was going to be the death of her. She was already stiffened enough as it was.

Seeing no one in the room she was occupying at the moment she decided to softly call for obaa-chan name.

She waited for a second when a rustle of fabric rumbled in her hears and the shoji doors opened. Kaede obaa-chan hadn't changed her expression from last night. And although she looked down and miserable she offered Kagome a kind genuine smile.

"Hai child?"

She blushed a bit and took her finger to her bottom lip.

"Would you mind if I took a bath? I feel like I really need it."

"Not at all Kagome-chan, here you go"

In her arm fell clothes pretty similar to those the old miko was wearing.

"I hope this will fit you. I had a nice figure when I was young too. Oh Kagome? Wouldn't you like to bathe in the hot stream? It's very nice to sore flesh"

Her kind smile persisted and she felt compelled to take her offer. It had been some time since she had bathed in a hot stream… There was one here? Where then?

"Where is it Kaede obaa-chan?"

"Do not worry child, dress and I'll take you there."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Inuyasha had been talking with the old woman in the morning. Sitting in the wooden fence that limited the residential zone of the area from the long forgotten rice fields now dry and dark, he had listened to the baba's world with great pain. The Day had come sunnier though. He didn't remember seeing such a beautiful sun in a long time. There were no clouds in the sky; the birds were chirping he could feel around him, now in the cliff the wildlife pouring from the trees the smell and youki from lower youkai.

His back was relaxed against the soft and scarce grass, and yet so green so happy, dancing in the soft breeze…

This was nothing short on contradiction, how could a day like this born in Risaishi – a very rare day in this scarred country-When today he had found out such dreadful thing…

_**Was it all a misunderstanding?**_

Could it have been …? But how? He had been there in the failed ends of the first Kikyou's arrows he had been in the end of them… then how could it be that this was a misunderstanding? He had seen as clearly as day Kikyou was there, mockery on her face, anger deep hate…. There was no mistaking…

But why would the hag lie about that?

Why would she tell the story in such a different way? Why would she say that he was the one that came to Kikyou and that had sliced her back with his claws? It wasn't true! He had been waiting for her… for her alone to make him happy… to be his. He had been waiting to see her make his dream come true. And then she had appeared out of the blue and shot him. This was her fault! She had the treacherous one, and he, he was the foolish hanyou that actually thought that someone could love him…

But Kaede… Kaede was completely dedicated to Kikyou, since she was a little runt…she wouldn't lie about that… would she? No she wouldn't. Then had it been Kikyou who lied? But she was dead wasn't she? Then someone had killed her.

The wind breezed in his face and he felt the need to howl, to whimper something. Instead he decided he'd go for a run and maybe even bathe in that good hot stream at the heart of the forest.

Had someone tricked them? Had someone made them doubt one another? Had someone made her seal him…?

She was dead…

He couldn't quite stop the sniveling when he thought in that.

What if they had been tricked? After all both versions had the same end…

Inuyasha robbed the shikon no tama.

Kikyou died.

What if all the hatred he'd felt for her was a lie tearing his heart apart with no real reason to? What if… what if she did love him and that all had been a mistake… what if she'd died hating him, like he had died (for fifty years at least) hating her.

But there was nothing to do now…

Kikyou was dead. And there pain he didn't think this pain would ever heal…

From a far from the direction of the hot stream he heard a soft voice, almost just a caress in the wind, but hearing intently he heard the strange girl that look like Kikyou, singing.

"_H__ontou ni taisetsu na mono igai subete sutete shimaetara ii no ni ne genjitsu wa tada zankoku de"_

_**Yeah… it would be nice…**_

She stopped singing in whim and he could see from afar a midnight locks hair diving in hot water. She sighed contently, and he watched from the top of the tree.

It wasn't his intention, it really wasn't. But he couldn't help himself when he saw such glittery beautiful ebony tresses splattered along the surface of the timid water that reflected the trees around and they seemed happy two.

He caught himself with the stupid thought that maybe this stupid girl was the reason for such a rare weather in Risaishi.

_**What a really stupid thought.**_

She continued under water for a second longer and then erupted from it; she seemed to be a lot better… oh yes a lot better!

He almost fell from the tree when he saw her completely naked out of the water with the sun glistening in the drops that covered her and reached most intimate places swiveling and turning in her body's curves.

Well damn him! He had to admit she was astonishing.

_**Aw shit! How can I been thinking this things about this baka girl? She's got me eating earth for fucks sake!**_

She sighed again and slumped to a low rock lodged in the curse of water of the stream pulling her knees to her chest and a tear – he could smell the salt in it- slipped from her eye.

For a moment he thought she had hurt herself when she sat, because of her wounds but that didn't seem to be it… What was it then? He was really tempted to leap from the bench and ask her. Well… no he wasn't, but he was genuinely curious.

_I miss home, I miss okaa-san and Souta outouto-chan and jii-chan…_

He heard her mutter, and almost scoffed inwardly with a bitter smile.

_**At least you have someone to miss and that probably misses you too.**_

He had someone to miss too, but he could never see her again and he missed her so much. Haha-ue was long lost from this world, because she was the human one with Chichi-ue's end, she would die anyway, seeing they were mates and mates couldn't live without one another.

He thought idly, lethargically if someday he'd have the chance to find a love like chichi-ue to haha-ue's.

A pang in his chest remembered him of Kikyou kind smile and he smiled too despite the pain that image brought him…

Their love had been nothing like his parent's.

In the two sceneries things worked out wrong. If she had betrayed him, then she hadn't even loved him. But if they had been tricked in betraying one another…

Then that love was tainted with insecurity and mistrust.

He had thought for a moment yes, that she would be his mate, but in the end it was something that he didn't knew much about and he'd have to ask Myouga if he wanted to now.

Not that he wanted. Of course not.

_**Fuck**__**!**_

He had to curse. It was in his nature to curse and he had to when he saw that girl, descend from the rock she had sat on and dive in the water again and lift her whole body again in a whim, so quickly that she had splashed water all around her as if she was a water Kami.

This girl was dangerous.

That was what he decided when he saw her beginning to come to landwards to climb her way out of the steamy pond. He quickly averted her eyes and looked at the dark foliage of the trees of his forest…

He wondered absentmindedly what she would dress considering that she had her clothes ripped. Oh well. She laughed girlishly and when the rustle ended he looked behind again and an anguish gasp escaped his lips followed by a low growl.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

All in all it had been a very good bath, hot and steamy were her favorites, and she had even brought some shampoo that Kaede obaa-chan had lend her.

She was – at the moment- happy and satisfied, and to thank Kaede obaa-chan she was determined to make oden to lunch.

Her eyes shined a bit at the idea of her favorite food and she clasped her hands together and giggled girlishly, finishing then to dress her white miko suikan.

In a second later she was pinned to a tree a low growl issuing itself in the depths of Inuyasha's body.

He looked at her angrier than she had ever known but when her brown eyes met his sun kissed golden ones he let go and Keh'd.

"You can't wear those clothes, take them off!"

She felt her nerves getting redder actually a vein popped from her balled up fists and she asked slowly.

"Were you watching me take a bath?"

And when his whole body stiffened and he didn't move nor talked she knew he was.

"Osuwari"

She humphed, and stomp his back to make her point clear. She was mad.

"Lunch is going to be oden, don't come late"

Her tone very irritated and threatening, he didn't thought nor even for a second of not going to lunch.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

So she could cook what was the big deal? His stomach still rumbled happily with the memory of the amazing oden that annoying girl had made. And she looked happier than any of them eating her bowl. Her eyes shone with joy as she delved in the food. She wasn't talking to him. Not that it bothered him. No it really didn't bothered him her voice was obnoxious and he didn't want to hear it or even think of it.

But he knew he hadn't acted right at the hot stream, but when he looked back he didn't even thought. He didn't knew what had came to his head… was the thought of her wearing the red hakama and the white suikan, and being stealing kikyou's identity?

Had he thought it was Kikyou and therefore lunged at her?

He honestly didn't know and so, couldn't answer his own questions…

Up in his tree, the one nearer the cliff that gave sight to the entire Area and attached lands, he sighed and bit his bottom lip.

Would he ever find out why that had happen? Would he ever find out what had happened?

Maybe… Maybe it was really just a trick, maybe Kikyou had loved him.

He didn't know which idea was more comforting and which was more unsettling. The one that Kikyou had really loved him and there had been a ploy set against each other, and they didn't trust one another; or the idea that she hated him mocked him and his feelings and really had wanted to seal him…

A scent that he had learnt to know and fear although he'd never admit the last one, it smelled like vanilla and wildflowers, jasmine and something so unique he couldn't quite put his nose in it.

"What do you want wench?"

She huffed and turned her head away. Her cheeks a bright pink.

"Kaede obaa-chan said she needed to talk to you. And I'm sorry I sat you this morning."

He dropped right in front of where she had tucked her hands under her butt and had kneaded, playing with some strands of grass she seemed completely distracted by the way the wind played with her ebony tresses an made her grass fly from her hand. When she noticed he was looking at her intently his hands on the ground and his knees draw up in a very canine display of anxiety a deep scowl on his face.

"No you're not, you're a bitch"

She looked sadly at him and again plucked some grass strands from the floor, the wind threatened to rob them again but she grasped him and put a tucked a lock of shiny black hair behind her ningen ear.

"Am I that similar to her?"

She established a soft tired smile. Kagome had spent the entire day- seeing it was now a deep afternoon, and the red sky was already calling the night –hearing the Area elder people that came to thank her, that she was exactly alike their other miko, before Kaede-sama. Kikyou-sama… Then they had told her numerous times the legend. So she knew the version Kaede had passed to Inuyasha.

He stiffened again and looked away right away blushing; now sitting in a non-so-canine way, in Indian style and arms crossed at the chest.

"Then I'm sure you have your motives to hate me"

She offered him a sad smile and began lifting, but he caught her wrist before she could. She shot him a quizzical glance and he came closer. His eyes seeing something that wasn't there.

Those words had attacked him as if they were coming from Kikyou's rouge lips, tore at him, and he let his gaze fall to her pink innocent ones.

He wanted to prove her that he didn't hate her… He'd always love her…He still did.

Then he realized what she was doing and Kagome loosened herself from the grip he had on her wrist.

Her choked sour laugh made him feel like shit.

"I guess I'm that similar."

And she began walking away.

- - - - - -

**Next chapter:** The Shikon no Kakera!

**Chino.**


	4. The Shikon no Kakera!

**Disclaimer: **This author owns not the Inu-tachi characters, however in the path of world's conquest, she will come to own them. For now they belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

**Author's Note:**This author request of his readers for them to send her any kind of questions about the Fic, if you want to know any term (Japanese) and just don't feel like Google it, you talk to me ( this was just so un-sesshoumaruish!)

_Enjoy_

**Risaishi**

**Chapter 4 –The Shikon no Kakera!**

_(__Souls alike, and the broken jewel!) _

Why he had almost kiss Kagome, remained a mystery for him. Well, half a mystery, he knew part of it was because she resembled Kikyou so, so much. Resemblance that he had still to explore. Were they from the same family? Kagome called Kaede obaa-chan, but there was no way of knowing it was an endearment term or a real blood bond term. Maybe she was related to Kaede…to Kikyou.

He'd acknowledged the differences in a whim off course, Kagome wasn't so tall as Kikyou, and still held a girlish essence that he didn't remind Kikyou having in her all grown up splendor, but Kagome was no _girl, _yeah absolutely no fucking g_irl _ he remembered that hot stream very well. Her hair was nowhere as long as Kikyou's waist length black mane and her was unruly where Kikyou's was flawless, Kagome's strands had a inky blue touch and all in all he had to admit it gave her a free look, like she was devoid of problems, especially when she used that smile.

Now that smile was something he couldn't remember seeing in kikyou's face much times. Hell he didn't even remembered it at all.

_**Was she that unhappy then?**_

This strange girl was always strangely plastering a smile on her face, whether she was happy or not, when children and people talked to her she was always smooth and polite. But that Kikyou had been too. No Kagome ignited a fire in the pit of people's souls. She called out to them. After spending one afternoon talking to most of the people in the Area, he noticed they already knew she wasn't Kikyou, but instead of so respectfully bowing like they used to do to Kikyou, they'd smile genuinely and wave at her. The laughter and happy squeals of infants filled his eyes as a pair of them squirmed in his mothers arms hold to get to Kagome.

She brought happiness and easiness with her, and had she been another person he'd actually take his time to enjoy it and watch person of such a doomed country like Risaishi laughing and smiling at the sight of a mere mortal…

Maybe he was right maybe the mountains in the east had given birth to the sunny day because of this airheaded incomprehensible girl.

They're heading to Kaede's.

It appeared she had something to talk to them.

Walking side by side made her uncomfortable, made the heat to her cheeks rise and she didn't know why – nor did she want to find out – So she was happy when entering the Area again people smiled and wave politely at her a big smile on their faces, some of the infants and youngsters whom she had played in the afternoon, squealing childishly in sheer happiness. And Kagome had yet to find out what had happened to the Tokyo she so well knew and had always lived in.

But unfortunately her thoughts didn't linger there.

Her thoughts journeyed to some few minutes ago, when in a sad cliff she had sat on the ground and was confronted with his actions.

His beautiful golden orbs turned half lidded as he batted them merely at first but they calmed down then, from that moment on, to her, everything was slow motion, he swallowed thickly and let out a puff of air and approached ever so slightly, ever so gently and careful, his hand still resting in her wrist and a talon she had seen shred a youkai caressed ever so slightly the skin of the inside of the wrist and she understood what that was, as his gaze focused on her luscious lips.

She put some distance and now they're walking towards Kaede's who had said that during dinner she whished to talk to them both.

But Kagome couldn't see what she could possibly had to say regarding them both. All that she wanted to do was to come back home, and she hadn't tried the well again because she was still weak and Kaede insisted on letting her take care of those wounds. By the next day she said they'd be much better with the combined powers of medicinal herbs and Shinto miko holy powers, the day after that she was going to be completely healed. She wondered if there wasn't a hospital and that thought accompanied her until Kaede's door.

She was happy she and Inuyasha hadn't talk more; because the gods knew she had felt a pain so sharp when he took her for another person that she wanted to hit him. And that wasn't nice and she berated herself the next second.

But being mistaken for another wasn't something she was used too, her friends always had held her dear, they had respected her, they had even admired her, because she was kind beautiful humble and helpful.

Not ever she had been treated like Inuyasha treated her.

She entered swiftly through the door behind him, eyeing his bloodied booths as they came off and were thrown with nonchalance next to the door next to her neatly put together zori sandals.

Her aching tired tabi clad feet slid through the small corridor to the small (very small ) living room Inuyasha without knowing led her to.

_**He must have been here before…**_

Her thoughts were engulfed in a soft tired sigh as she kneeled in front of her bowl of rice and miso soup. Oh how she missed her mother's cooking! Inuyasha sat in Indian style and immediately reached for his bowl and without caring with chopsticks began eating the rice in front of him.

She looked at him with a scold but he ignored her and continued eating. Kaede's eyes seemed to glint with a flick of amusement and she didn't reprimand him, instead she nodded her head and Kagome smiled grabbing her chopsticks and with cheer voice exclaimed a quick

"Itadakimasu!"

That Kaede answered with a kind smile and grabbed her own chopsticks.

Inuyasha didn't stop eating.

Along the meal, in the middle of it, when Inuyasha was already on the third bowl of rice, Kagome let her confusion and curiosity eat at her no more.

"Kaede baa-chan, you told you had something to tell." Shoving a bird of rice inside her mouth she chewed ever so slowly two sets of eyes (well a set and a single one) boring into her, and the gold one turned to the single one "what is this about?"

Kaede looked at the girl in front of her, with great sorrow tainting her only obsidian eye, her mouth forming a deep line and her scarce eyebrows set in a scowl of hurt. She seemed to be holding back tears, but then she swallowed hard a dropped her chopsticks on the bowl to face Kagome, with a now cooler expression.

"Kagome… you already mentioned you live in a Shinto shrine ne?"

Inuyasha returned the golden pools to Kagome, the strange girl who so much resembled Kikyou… Even if she had that humiliating power of hers, he could sneakily run away from her. Couldn't he? But what kind of a man was he, afraid of this girl who was maybe 17 years old when he was the possessor of youkai blood, and of such a line as the Inu no Taisho… the Tai-youkai and lord of the Western lands and she was a mere ningen… ok a miko ningen possessor of such huge power that she wasn't even aware of. But that didn't discarded the fact that he was a thousand times stronger than her, and tenth times older, seeing he was 200 years old.

It was not so much the kotodama no nenju – although he absolutely loathed the thing – it was much more that she was a practical copy of Kikyou, and it scared the shit out of him that he had to coexist with someone so equal to the woman he had loved half a century ago and he wasn't even sure if she had betrayed him, but the ultimate truth was that he still hang on to Kikyou, he still loved her, and she was dead. She was dead. In this world no more… how was he to go on, if he neither knew what had happened fifty years ago or keeping her love and have this girl so near him. But…he knew nothing more that was _his _than this forest and he'd be nothing short of a coward if he abandoned this place, running away from this girl, this woman representing his lost love but so different from her in so much ways. All he had was his honor. Nothing more. He had no status because he'd denied it, but the blood of an Inu prince still ran through his veins and he couldn't escape it, not even in death.

He couldn't stand the thought of running away from this ningen woman, because that was as good as admitting she held power over him.

"I do Kaede baa-chan, with my family."

The old woman, whom for who sported 60 years seemed more like she sported 90, nodded strained. Her eyes flew momentarily to Inuyasha in what Kagome recognized was utter apprehension, and couldn't help but to wonder what could be so bad. What could she have to tell them that would leave her looking at Inuyasha that way?

"Spit it out baba"

It seemed not even Inuyasha was unaware of the heavy look darkening Kaede's only eye and features, and that worried Kagome. Of the time she had spent with him, something that she had noticed was that most of the time, Inuyasha was very enthralled in his own world and was clueless and unaware of everything. Well that was what she thought at the moment. And seeing him perceiving Kaede's disturbed features, somehow put her on edge.

Inuyasha on the other hand – all but forgetting the younger woman in the room and clashing his eyes with the single obsidian miserable eye of Kaede.

Hearing intently he heard her heart hammering against her old rib cage and using his keen nose he could feel her anxiety leaking from every pore. It made him tense immediately.

Finally Kaede, after swallowing a rather large lump that had lodged in her throat, continue. Ignoring Inuyasha she turned her eyes to the girl who had already won her heart.

"Growing up in a Shinto shrine, you must know about… reincarnations. Am I right? "

As soon as the words left her mouth, the wheels in Inuyasha's brain began working and he stared at the once child no aged woman with his mouth agape. He even forced his body inches backwards, stumbling.

_**She can't possibly mean…oh fucks no!**_

But Kagome never left Kaede, and Kaede never left Kagome, she stared fixated to the 17 year old girl. She slowly very slowly nodded to the elder question, and so Kaede carried on.

"Kagome, for what you've told me, you do not belong here. You don't recognize Risaishi and you call this Zone a name it has been long forgotten."

"Tokyo?"

Gods she didn't understand this. What was Risaishi and what was this with Zones and Areas? Hell she was in Japan and in Tokyo, right?

"Now it is called Zone 1I Kagome, but worry not with that now. There are more pressing matters. As I was saying…you are not from here, and I have very good motives to believe that… you are the reincarnation of someone I once held very dear."

The sharp intake of breath accusing surprise was heard from the right side of Kagome, and when she looked she was presented with a expression she didn't recognize.

Well she recognized it she just didn't expect it. Inuyasha seemed so awestruck, so awfully surprised that he wore a shocked expression, but his eyes, he looked like he was going to cry.

However when he noticed she was gawking at him and taking in his surprise, he snarled loudly and rolled his upper lip in a baring fangs grimace. Ultimately his eyes full of hate.

She want to snort, and maybe she would've done it had the situation not being so bizarre and just out of good sense limits. But this was such a berserk moment she chose to stay quiet and quickly avert her gaze from him to Kaede obaa-chan.

"Baa-chan what are you saying?"

"I'm trying to see you that the fact that you had the shikon no tama inside you and your fantastic miko powers- because be not a fool- they are out of average, oh they are brilliant!- and you're exquisitely resemblances to Kikyou Onee-sama make me believe you're her reincarnation."

"Hell no! You fucking nuts baba? "

And three eyes – a set and one single – turned to Inuyasha who was sporting hell in his molten gold eyes; he looked disappointedly to Kaede and then fired that hell again at Kagome's warm brown eyes that were so different from his last love's ones.

These eyes, these new eyes not so wise but a lot more full of life bore eyes into his skull and she said in a quiet calm deadly voice her warning for the first and last time.

"If you don't shut up dog-boy, you'll end up with your face in the tatami."

And he immediately shut his lips closed, not because he was afraid of a threat a little girl whose height didn't even reach his shoulder –_no of course not…_­- it was because he wanted to hear what the baba was talking about too.

And the thought crossed his mind that this idea was anything but stupid and it made a lot of sense…

Outside the chirp of a crow made Kaede carry on, while Inuyasha narrowed his beautiful golden eyes. When her voice cut his sudden discomfort, he opened his slits of eyes and looked at them both.

"Kagome the fact that you might possibly be Kikyou onee-sama's reincarnation its nothing to be afraid of. It implies – you must know this – That part of you soul once belonged to Kikyou Onee-sama. But with time and changed you and you soul developed, and that why Kagome-chan that you have such strong powers, stronger than kikyou's. Its because your powers are a match for Kikyou onee-sama's that you were able of carrying the shikon no tama for so long, and this leaves no doubt once that Kikyou Onee-sama took the jewel with her, fifty years ago when she was cremated. Do you understand?"

Kagome looked a bit dejected at the news and tried to school her features into smooth cooler ones. But she couldn't. Not with Inuyasha looking at her that way, as if he was looking for something. She turned mad eyes to his soft ones, and pinned him with a formidable glower.

"That means, I sort of inherit some things from Kikyou, but I'm not her… am I?"

Inuyasha turned his lips into a straight line. Damn right she wasn't Kikyou but why had she said it like that? Was it because of what had happened on the cliff that same afternoon an hour or so ago?

Kaede chuckled and shook her head.

"Iie child, you're not her, it is like you said so. You inherit some things from Onee-sama but you are yourself. Do not worry child."

The relief that flooded through Kagome's body baffled Inuyasha. Had she been that annoyed with him? Well it was only normal, after all she didn't know him and he was a half breed, a sullied hanyou. Who would want one of those thing touching them? Only Kikyou had one day accepted him and still...

"Kagome, you must protect the shikon no tama with you life, if it has chosen you an…"

Kagome didn't want to be rude. Not with this sad woman who gave her such genuine smiles and had taken care of her, this woman who had given her a ceiling to sleep under. But his was very, very annoying. She wasn't really thinking about spending a lot of time here. She had her life somewhere else. Somewhere she didn't want to believe it was lost and forgotten. It wasn't fair. She missed her mother and jii-chan and Souta outouto-chan. Why was this happening? She really wasn't intending to be rude but by Kami-sama she wasn't planning on staying here either.

"I'm sorry Kaede obaa-chan, but I don't want to stay here, I want to go back home."

She tried to wear the most solemn expression she could muster. Kaede's expression fell a bit but moistening her thin dry lips she spoke again.

"I understand Kagome and maybe the jewel will be safer in your …_world. _But you must promise you will return and visit us."

"Do you think the well will let me pass whenever I want to? This is really different from where I live. "

Kaede nodded and gave her a small reassuringly smile and felt a bit lighter. Now that she had shared that awful secret with the two people who should know about it and she started her withdrawing. They probably need privacy to fight.

She was sure, in these one day and a bit they had met, when they were together; they weren't nothing short on nemesis. But then again it was very often that nemesis would end up together side by side. That was what she was expecting. Even if it betrayed her memory of Kikyou Onee-sama, the jewel needed protection and Inuyasha was the one who could do it for Kagome, who hadn't train her powers yet.

"Fuck that! I don't know nor do I care what you two crazy are talking about. What I want to know baba is why can't I take this stupid nenju?"

Kaede tried to ignore the temperamental hanyou and answer Kagome but when she smiled again to the beautiful young woman in front of her, and she seemed even more relieved. Inuyasha cut in again.

"Fuck you, you two! I want to know how take this shit out of me!"

"Will you watch your tongue baka? Be respectful to Kaede obaa-chan!"

"Shut up brat! When I first knew her she was even tinier than you, why should I care?!"

Kaede had to hold back a lovely smile, at Inuyasha's words. He really remembered. But Kagome wasn't that merry, her eyebrow twitched behind her long onyx shiny tresses which were hiding her stunning face, with tight balled fists on her knees she very slowly lifted her head to clash warm chocolate with hardened gold.

And he knew it; he just knew it he was going to end up with his face in the tatami. He just didn't know what had he done now. All he had done was calling her tiny.

"You…did you just call me tiny?"

He wanted to retreat and run and hide from her. But she was wearing a 'seek-and-destroy' face and he knew there was no possibly escape. What was the problem anyway, it wasn't even meant was an insult.

"Keh! I think you heard me just fine!"

And as always she threw her nose to the ceiling along with her chin and said with great pride the command which heaved the kotodama no nenju down.

"Osuwari!"

"_Fuckin' 'itch_!"

His words muffled by the tatami and the red face Kagome was desperately trying to school her features trying not to osuwari him again, were Kaede's line to leave that room. Besides she was feeling some strange presence in the Area

She left sliding and swiftly and neither one nor the other noticed. In fact they had all but forgotten she was there.

When the spell began to fade, Inuyasha shot to his feet and crackled his knuckles.

"Little girl you don't know who you're playing with. You may think you have the upper hand but I'll break you in one snap. I'm not afraid of you. _You're just a tiny girl_"

His voice was so dark that she forgot the osuwari he deserved after that remark. She thought loosely that he'd look like a gothic god where she came from. When he spoke his darkened pools of gold narrowing to slits to face then he wore such a sardonic expression that she even wondered if he was a kinky freak and this was enjoyable to him.

"Look here, I may be tiny but I'm not afraid of bullies like you!"

She shouted, and he snapped out of his dark expression, looking surprised at her as if he wasn't expecting the outburst.

"And believe me I've no desire whatsoever of remaining here. I'll go back to my time, but the jewel stays with me!"

After the shout – that of course scared Kaede that they may have been trying to kill each other if not verbally, physically – The older woman entered the small room again and sat on her previous spot.

"What are you two arguing about?"

She inquired them with a scowl and Kagome immediately felt bad. It was absolutely vulgar to argue with someone in other's place. She bowed her head and spoke softly.

"Gomen ne Kaede-baa-chan, I didn't meant to be rude towards you"

And the old woman let a little smile tug at her lips, this girl was so polite and yet she was a spitfire. She could handle Inuyasha's temper? Well what kind of woman was she? Kikyou Onee-sama had never stood for his behavior and if he crossed the line she'd ignore him for days. Not Kagome, she fought back. Again occurred her how different the two woman were.

"It is okay child…"

"Keh! Oi baba!"

Two heads snapped in the direction of the hanyou that now nonchalantly rested his back against the cement walls, one knee pulled to his chest and his forearm resting on it. Kagome furrowed her brows and he ignored her, again speaking to Kaede.

"You better tell that obnoxious brat to give me the shikon no tama and take this fucking nenju!"

"Watch you mouth jerk! Why do you want it so much anyway? You're pretty strong already!"

He snorted again and turned his head away from her scrutiny, blushing a bit.

"It's none of your business brat! Kikyou would never do such stupid questions to me. Obviously you're nothing like her"

But the hanyou failed to see the way the girl tensed, Kaede however didn't fail to notice that and she wondered why. Maybe the girl had really a problem with her being a reincarnation of the hanyou's lost love…

In order of avoiding a new discussion she stepped in and answered Kagome for the hanyou.

"Inuyasha is a hanyou. His okaa-san was a ningen Hime and his otou-san Tai-youkai; he wants to be like him, tai-youkai."

It was a rather blunt statement but this time the one who stiffened was Inuyasha and he glared at the old woman.

"Shut your mouth baba."

Kagome lost in her thoughts, didn't even realize that her thoughts were leaving the comfortable space of her brain and trail out of her mouth.

"So he wants to get rid of his ningen blood? Does he hate his mother that much?"

And that did it. She didn't even saw it coming, until Inuyasha had a clawed finger poking her chin. His beautiful hues of gold were tinted with anger and he spoke in that dark voice again, this time though he didn't used a sardonic voice or something akin to that. What he was using it was a voice that promised pain and threatened her very life.

"Let's make this very clear brat…"

She opened her mouth to argue but he poked her chin harder and she glared at him instead, finding golden eyes glowering at her just equally.

"You'll never talk about haha-ue again."

She turned her glower in such an annoyed face he wanted to slap her.

"Why not? Don't you love your okaa-san?"

"Didn't I just tell you to shut up onna? Hottoite yo! Haha-ue died a long time ago!"

And immediately all the anger and annoying left Kagome's face she turned around her face to escape his poking claw and he left his hand fall. He couldn't see her face at that moment because her beautiful eyes and cheeks and the emotions on them were hidden by her long ebony locks. But the heavy smell of her reeked of sadness and hurt

"Sorry. I know how it is."

Her whisper was barely audible. He was sure baba hadn't caught it and he saw the tears well up in the girl eyes. Fuck he hated seeing women cry. He remembered he had never before seen Kikyou cried. And the last time he had cried was because of haha-ue's death. This girl was showing off his weaknesses and displaying some that Kikyou had never had. Two tears fell in silence and when the salty scent rubbed in the insides of his nose he just knew he had to get away of there.

"Keh!"

And with that he got to his feet, his red long coat flowing around him when he turned away and left.

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Inuyasha's outburst had remembered her of Otou-san. A big lump didn't let her air pass in the throat and thickness built there. Her eyes filled with tears made her want to slap herself. It was no time for thinking of such things. Right now she had to get out of this place and take that dangerous jewel with her… After Inuyasha left Kaede obaa-chan told her why the jewel was so dangerous and she couldn't do anything but protect her now, and prevent the tainted ones to touch it. She had to be careful, oh so very careful with the shikon no tama and keep it around, she now wore it in a little velvet bag attached to a gold chain and the young girl couldn't help but to sigh deeply at the now thick, dark and engulfing night that was marring the ski. The beautiful full moon smiled at her and the stars were countless here. The sky was much prettier here than back home.

_**Back home huh?**_

Gods she wanted to go back to her house. Okaa-san must've been so worried. Souta outouto- chan was certainly never stepping one foot on the well-house and jii-chan was probably rummaging through old scrolls on the shrine to find out what was happening and what kind of magic had impose itself.

She sighed again and turn to her side on the comfy futon, grabbing the velvet little bag dangling from her throat and through it she felt the warmness of the shikon no tama.

There was never a doubt in her mind that this little orb was a very powerfull weapon and as Kaede had said it was normal that both ningen and youkai alike wanted it.

And she, a little inexperienced little girl of the barely ripe age of 17 was the one chosen to protect this little jewel, the jewel of four souls

_**Aramitama (**__**荒魂**__**, Courage), **_

_**Nigimitama (**__**和魂**__**, Friendship),**_

_**Kushimitama (**__**奇魂**__**, Wisdom)**_

_**Sakimitama (**__**幸魂**__**, Love).**_

She never ever doubted, not even in the back of her mind that this jewel held the power of destroy the world.

And the task of protecting it was now, upon her shoulders, it once had been on kikyou's shoulders- she frowned when she thought that -but the truth was she had never felt so proud and overwhelmed.

With a sharp intake of breath she decided she wanted to walk outside. She still wanted to know – she still needed to know – a lot of things about this place. Why was Tokyo in ruins? And how was the city? This supposedly were the suburbs right? She had heard the word "Risaishi" and it gave her the chills. Suffering (from a calamity) city?

Although she needed to discover this she decided against it to think about it now. Now she wanted to enjoy the chilly night and the engulfing moon, the shinny stars called to her and with wool steps she reached the front door of the tiny house.

A deep breath claimed the frozen air and a puff of hot breath hazed the atmosphere.

Small steps made her advance towards what she didn't knew, but although she knew there were every kind of debris and rocks on the ground she never tripped, she was very calm, this place calmed her.

Her eyes remained closed for seconds and the pulse of the shikon no tama reassured her that she could open her eyes.

The night here was a thousand times prettier than where she came from, the air a thousand times purer. But there was such sorrow such pain dangling from the stars and the moon now, at night when people cried themselves to sleep.

What had happened here? Why this place was called the city of suffering? Why could she feel the sorrow and grieve clogging the air? And without noticed when her questions found no answer, her line of thoughts changed

_**Why am I so upset about being her reincarnation? I mean it's a good thing right?**_

This should be good, thanks to her being the reincarnation of Kikyou, she had all those powers, and she could defend herself here, she could control Inuyasha's Kotodama…

_**Inuyasha**__**…**_

He had tried to kill her and then to kiss her. And she wasn't sure of which one she was scared the most. But she knew, she deep down knew, that when he'd tried to kiss her, wasn't it for him being confusing her with Kikyou, she would have done it. She couldn't stop her chest of beating harder whenever she saw him, the way his body moved so gracefully, the way he had fought, such elegance and yet such strength running through his veins. And he wasn't that plain as she thought the first interactions she'd had with him. He'd a past, a hard past. His mother…Kikyou…

She couldn't avoid the attraction she felt towards him. She felt the need of restoring his trust on people, on life.

But he didn't let her get close. He was always snarling and growling, crackling his knuckles at her… although she knew that subjugating someone with half of himself as a Inu-youkai shouldn't be easy. He probably thought that, _bitches_ as he so eloquently had said, should submit!

She sat in a fence, and looked at the sky again, the pale moon giggled with her and she felt amazingly better just to be awarded with the moonlight. The stars were too many to count, and still she tried it.

…97…98…99…100.

A hundred was the number that marked razor sharp talons grabbing her suikan and her shoulder, effectively piercing them and lift her in the air, accompanied by a razor high pitched scream that fell from her throat.

She screamed as loud as she could for help, but help wouldn't come because she was now high in the sky, flying with claws buried in her flesh. The blood oozed from the gashes filled with dark long nails. And when she looked up she was disgusted by seeing a giant crow youkai, with three crimson eyes in its feathery face, and if it weren't for the beack she'd say that the creature was smiling.

She tried to once again summon her powers. But she had never been a friend of heights, the sight of her entire suikan stained with her own blood, and the fact that she was so tired and not completely recovered from her wound on her side, made her dizzy she thought she would vomit right there. Instead she closed her eyes and passed out in the claws of that huge bird.

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He'd known… he'd known very well that he shouldn't have let that stupid bitch alone.

He'd been sitting calmly in one of the highest Goshinboku branches, thinking about his situation, when it happened.

First there was the never ending doubt about had happened to Kikyou. He still wondered, he even let himself get a little bit of hope that she wasn't mocking him that day, if she had really loved him.

Maybe she had loved him. And if that had been a trick and she'd died and he had stayed only immobile and paralyzed, how fair was it?

Then came Haha-ue's dying conditions so many, many years ago. The screams…Oh he couldn't think of it

"_**The mononoke's bitch"**_

"_**Youkai lover, you and that deformity of a child must die!"**_

"_**Whore, disgusting whore!"**_

A grieve and a guilt that were no foreigners to him lodged themselves in his chest constricting, when he remembered haha-ue. She'd died because of him

At least that had been what those man had always told him. Because he was a sullied creature half of two world and complete nothing he was the cause of his mother's death.

And then there was this new girl in his thinking subjects.

He positively hated her, at least he should. She thought she was in the right of subjugating him, she was petty and was always yelling at him… and she was unnerving and obnoxious. And he still…Still every time he saw her he couldn't help but to notice how really perfect her body was or how pretty was her smile, or how fiercely a mere woman like her so young had faced that Mukade Jurou.

And that wasn't good at all.

So instead of trying to understand, he preferred to ignore it and not dwell on it.

He preferred to enjoy the moon and the stars and the pure air and somehow nostalgic sight.

Until he felt that youkai present, then a smell, it smelled like a bird…a crow… He had felt that presence before he was sure, he just couldn't place it.

Taking a sniff, and then two and three… he made sure his nose wasn't tricking him. It wasn't of course; it had never ever done that.

Shaking his head from side to side, dropping from his branch he tried frantically to find that youkai. It could be nothing, it could be just a smaller youkai… but he carried a corrupted aura and that was unsettling, it made him look for it in the skies anxiously. But he couldn't find him.

The stupid fucking bird should be looking for the jewel. And that bitch had it. He had to find it, before the crow or else the jewel would lose its protector that in reality couldn't protect it. He still wanted the jewel; he still wanted to be full youkai, and he wouldn't let some mangy bird or a weakling ningen bitch take that from him. That was all he had to cling on.

So felt this was the perfect opportunity to take the jewel from both the crow and the miko bitch.

When he had finish running and had arrived to the Area's limit he spotted Kikyou's house, but his eyes quickly moved to the fence near it, when in that exact moment a giant crow youkai, bigger than what he expected pierced the soft flesh of that girl's shoulders and lifted her to the sky with him. He heard her high pitched scream and her wavering wails for help but when he came near enough to grab her where she had stood milliseconds ago, she was now high in the sky fainted.

And the sight and smell of her blood leaving her body made him want to throw up and at the same time rip that youkai apart as he grabbed the yumi and arrows resting against the walls of Kaede baba's house at Kaede's door and followed the youkai and his prey as fast as he could.

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When she woke up the first thing her body made her realize was a sharp pain in her shoulders and a heavy soreness above her eyebrows trying to make her eyes shut again. She wasn't laying in a futon but in cement floor and when she looked down, she noticed disgusted she was bare from the waist up. Her whole body had goose bumps all over it due to the chilling air making itself known in the cold walls that distinguish the very small room, with no furniture and made only of cement.

Her kosode was next to her in the dirty floor.

She thought about getting it but when she moved her shoulders, tears fell by their own making her whimper and she wanted to crawl in a ball and cry until she died. She had always been a good girl. She had great grades, she was popular and a good friend and she helped her family at the shrine, she even helped Souta with his homework.

Since otou-san had died she had always tried to grow up be the best woman she could be.

So why was this happening all of a sudden?

She was lucky her side wound was already closed because the now deep injures in her shoulders hurt like hell.

Taking a deep breath she decided for what seemed to be the umpteenth time after the Mukade incident that she needed to be strong a get out of there.

Looking frantically she was pleasantly surprised to discover that she still held with her the green velvety purse in her neck that carried in it the Shikon no tama.

Feeling immediately, when she sat up, the weight of the jewel she cringed when her hands flew to the velvet purse and immediately felt the warmth of the magic marble pouring from the fabric to her hands, as if the jewel was happy that Kagome was okay.

Then finally putting aside, with great effort, her hurting injuries she tried to remember what had happened, since the images were trying to come all blurry and murky.

She remembered being at the fence near Kaede obaa-Chan's house and counting stars.

And then a searing pain that coursed through her body and made her scream as whatever was causing her pain elevated her in the hair.

Feather… black feathers and a third eye, a nauseating smell of rotten flesh and the clear presence of a youkai. It had been a crow youkai that had pierced her shoulders and had taken her away.

But why couldn't she recall anything after that? Had she fainted?

She scolded herself for letting herself be beaten by her old fear of heights… well that and the nasty gashes on her shoulders might had have something to do with it too.

Dressing her kosode with gritted teeth and muffled yelps of stabbing pain she closed her eyes and let the tears fall silently.

She still couldn't understand why this was happening to her…

She take on her surroundings with lazy eyes and all she could muster was grimy dirty walls of concrete, the room was very small and she couldn't really move around, but there was a door and she slowly got up and reached for it, her head was dizzy and she felt like she was going to vomit and pass out again.

Quickly she gathered herself and breathed slowly, extending her hand to the knob. Sliding it slowly she tried to be as swift and silent as the shoji doors allowed it. The dried blood in her wounds needed to be cleaned but first she had to get a way out of there, they had kidnapped her and therefore what was happening couldn't be good… not at all. In front of her there was a corridor and she tried to find demonic presences but nothing, she frowned with ambiguity, this certainly wasn't correct, wasn't the one that had kidnapped her youkai? She was sure!

Although she was very anxious to get out of that strange hole, that smelt awfully of old and disgusting other things mingled together and was so full of grime everywhere, her curiosity and anger was beginning to spread fast.

What the hell? Why had she been kidnapped? What did they want?

The comfortable warmth dangling from her throat wrapped in green velvet answered her question and she remembered Kaede saying that both human and youkai would do anything to get their hands on it…

Continue through the corridor she turned to one of the darkened corridors at the left and sniffed, all the smells increased in this corridor and she couldn't help but continue consumed in rage and curiosity she continued the path, silently cursing the hakama pants that weren't the most comfortable ones because they were so large.

Being so enthralled in her thoughts wasn't that thought when she noticed she was in a room suddenly that had been at the end of the corridor. At least 10 men stood there. All dressed in black and all held rifles some man's faces were scarred other's hair was falling in the same grime the walls were covered with.

They would all seem very serious and threatening, very dangerous if they weren't playing a strange game with dices and laughing their brains out with cups of sake – she saw the emptied bottles on the floor- in their hands and cigarettes, twisted cigarettes in the other.

They didn't even notice her.

But she noticed a girl coming to them, covered only in a piece of dirty white fabric; she let the fabric fall and l just lie in the ground.

They started laughing louder some grabbed their stomachs and throw themselves to the ground. One was unbuckling his pants, with a sadistic smile. The girl who couldn't be much older than herself held a disgusted face and then she slammed her eyes shut when she felt a hand roaming through her body.

And Kagome was tempted to empty her stomach right there.

She was fighting an inner battle. The girl seemed to be doing this on her choice but how could she leave her there?

She was aware though that if she remained then they'd most probably detect her presence… what if she ended up in the girls place? What about the shikon no tama? She couldn't understand yet why it was in her hands but she could not let it fall in the hands of those bandits.

Holding her breath and repenting leaving the girl there as they started to approach her with every cell of her body, she ran from them in order to try to protect the shikon no tama. Step after step she tried to be as soft as possible, to don't alert anyone.

But its funny how in the verge of breakdown when she was trying to do her best to stay quiet, and was even quite proud of herself because she had been able to swallow her rising bile and walk all that way, and had even been able of remaining invisible to those of the house, she had her senses heightened but still didn't noticed 3 red eyes surveying her for a bit hidden in the shadows but glowing nonetheless and flying above her head. She didn't even saw it let alone heard it.

But the cursed youkai bird flew over her head. Its direction lost.

But she continued walking through corridors and halls, in what she understood it had been the house of the headman but that had been disposed of its owner.

Suddenly she felt a tug of her own body towards a direction that had gone unnoticed until now. Now that was weird, why was her body attracted to that direction if she hadn't even see that corridor before?

Again curiosity took and still fighting the force that was pulling her legs and torso she walked that corridor intent on finding out what was going on. Stopping in front of a pair of shoji doors the tug in her legs and hands become unbearable and she succumbed to it, letting her milky hands reach the handle in the shoji door to push it aside.

She did throw up this time.

In that room Kagome discovered three heads on the tatami floor, with the neck balanced in the soft floor and turned exactly to the shoji doors around each neck a pool of old dried blood.

one of a man that could be her jii-chan age, one of the age that her otou-san would have been, hadn't he been dead, and one head, the head of a little kid, held a terrified look, with eyes still open, dark beady eyes that remembered her so much of Souta when he came running to her room in the middle of the night crying that he was scared and pleading for her to let him sleep there. That was when she fell to her knees and observed the second part of the show that someone had left behind.

It was a woman, not the head of one and she lay above the three headless naked men bodies. Kagome noticed even in a nausea haze that she looked much alike that girl in the room with those men, the one only covered with the piece of dirty white fabric, only this woman was older and in her body…Her whole body wore slashes obviously done by katanas and daggers. Her eyes were rolled to the back of her skull and half opened she was naked and had been very obviously raped several times judging by the amount of blood running through her legs and the semen coating her stomach, thighs and her core. Her face wasn't beaten except for the blood in her mouth, but her whole body had yellowish, and bluish purple marks. Yes that had been definitely what made her turn around and empty her stomach on the floor.

The more time she was here the more the smell of this place coated her senses the more the almost nonexistent lights darkened her vision and the more dizzy she felt, she knew she was going limp and faint any moment now, and the pain in her shoulders had come back full force, searing hot teary pain that made her gasp with each hurting breath.

The only thing that kept her walking to find a way out was the shikon no tama , but now she was in darker corridors and she didn't even saw anything, there were no lights at all here…she had to support her weight with her hands in the walls and lifting the arms was bad enough already but feeling the grime of not washed walls like the presence of those people had tainted the house in evil that made her stumble and loose her balance, made her even groggier and Kagome began to feel that this was one sardonic cycle…

Still, she had to protect this jewel that was so powerfull and yet so dangerous… she had to get out of here and learn about Risaishi, she wanted to go home and pretend she was listening to jii-chan, hug okaa-san and bump her outouto-chan in his head for being a sissy.

She had to.

"Hello little girl"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Damn that ningen brat!

Now he had not only lost that gigantic bird but ended in an Area, smaller than Kikyou's and poorer.

He tried to hide the best that he could, seeing that the boundaries were still very clear and he was in the wrong side. He wanted to roar with dark laughter at that. Did he even have a place in the other side? Well of course maybe he didn't have a place now but after being a full youkai he'd battle Sesshoumaru or maybe just move in with him , now he knew that was torture for his aniki… then again it was for him too, and that wouldn't do.

Anyways now certainly it wasn't the time, he needed to find that gorgeous baka brat and bring her to Kaede and then steal the shikon.

_**Wait … wha- what the fuck?**__** Gorgeous? Oh fuck I must have been too much time sleeping.50 year's genius, no duh!**_

Even angrier with himself for being thinking of that girl like that he ran faster behind a line of trees that separated that area from another and he tried to figure out where was.The last time he'd seen that youkai crow the smell of him was all over that village and that was why he couldn't find the fucking thing, but that also meant he was close, and the people certainly would notice some thing that large.

Conclusion he needed to go in the area and ask for the bird and if someone had recently seen it…

Now that was going to be a problem.

50 years ago people used to tremble from head to toe for fear of seeing a youkai, let alone a hanyou. It wasn't that hanyou were more dangerous, it was more that hanyou were disgusting for both sides. They were two halves of nothing.

How'd they react now? He couldn't sincerely believe that Risaishi had really grown out of its costumes. No. Hanyou and youkai in a ningen Area were certainly still hated.

But he had to get his hands on the brat and on the jewel….the jewel more specifically.

Sighing deeply he flattened his Inu ears to his skull and dropped from the branch he was observing the poor area from.

The Hi nezumi coat flowing behind him when he ran to the old decaying houses.

One of the men was outside, and when he looked at him his eyes widen considerately, and becoming the more noticeable features in his frightened face. His arm shook as he tried to lift it and he pointed a shaky finger at Inuyasha.

"_**You…**_**YOUKAI!!**"

Who had he tried to fool? His ears may not be so visible at the moment, but his pretty silver whitish hair and his sun kissed golden orbs along with the claws and fangs and the fire rat garment didn't fool a soul.

In response to the man antics he rolled his eyes in boredom and because he was used to this reaction (he had been hearing it for at least some centuries) he stood in the same spot calm and rearranging the position of his ears in the crown of his head, perking them again.

"Calm down stupid ningen. I only want to know if you saw a giant crow or something like that!"

The man still was scared anyone could see that, from time to time he would look around as if he was looking for people and checking that he wasn't alone, he trembled a lot and didn't look at the hanyou in front of him sporting an annoyed expression in the eyes, fidgeting in the spot where he stood he looked around again and after setting his gaze somewhere on his right side he spoke.

His voice quivering like his bottom lip was shaking. He surely wasn't the sharpest stick in the drawer but he was bright enough to be afraid of the Inu hanyou in front of him. Every human knew as well as every youkai that the Silver Inu clan was the leading clan among youkai. Seeing one - and although the old man didn't knew- one of the royal family - was as scarier as facing a whole horde of demons. At least that was how he saw it.

Inuyasha's annoyance grew by the second if this old fart wasn't going to tell him where the stupid jewel was he was going to freak… the jewel could be consumed by that huge bird any moment. Besides that tiny fragile spitfire of a girl would be pretty damaged, if not dead…

_**Keh! Since when do I fucking care about that wench?**_

He quickly shut off that line of thought and established that no, he didn't care for the girl at all.

"You-you must mean… karasu-sama… "

The man whispered now looking at Inuyasha's chest; not facing him.

Inuyasha felt himself loose his temper once and for all. Couldn't this ningen grow a pair of balls?

For Kami's sake! And what was this talk about Karasu-sama?

"Why do you call him that?"

His voice now held a bit more of an angry edge to it, as if he was close to snap, and the farmer quickly snapped his eyes to the ground hiding his embarrass.

"He is the one in charge around here. He's our headman"

"Listen stupid I'm looking for a bird, not a man with the name of one! Will you fucking try to understand?"

And he really snapped that time. It was just that he was messing with his nerves talking gibberish like some idiotic fool… well the idiotic fool that he was.

"Sure, sure, Inu-sama… well there was a crow passing by… but I was wondering. I guess it was a crow youkai since he carried such a…"

"Such a _what?"_

"Well he carried in its claws this delectable woman. I swear she was almost edible…"

So, besides an idiotic fool he was a pervert too with a wish to die.

"Where did they go?"

He managed to get out in a hiss through slit narrowed eyes.

"Towards the house of the headman, but…Inu-sama? Inu-sama! shoot! Where did he go? Be happy Jin; be happy, at least he didn't kill you…"

And the old man kept on walking to his small house, step after step with wood on his back where his grandson was awaiting for him.

Behind him, towards the largest house in the area that stood a bit far away from the other tiny houses, a blur of red and silver was all that was left.

He couldn't remember of ever feeling such a strong sense from somewhere. Let alone such amount of evil in a house.

He could sense the jewel and the brat there but it was faint, and the smell of blood death, tears, sex and youki that eradiated from the greasy walls of the house were making him dizzy and disgusted. Disgusted being the strongest emotion coursing through his body.

But still the jewel and that… girl were there, he had to find them.

And he had to enter there and get them out of there.

And the most horrible piercing ear splitting scream tore the earth apart and he knew that that brat was in trouble again.

Running became an understatement, he didn't ran he flew past the scarce greenery and houses reaching the old palace in a question of mere seconds. That high pitched fearful scream played over and over and over in his head. He was almost sure it was the ningen brat, but even if he wasn't he had to get whoever was in trouble out of there. Even he was slightly disturbed by that scene…

Flexing his talons in anticipation he let a cocky battle smirk crept through his features and readied himself for battle. This would be good, after being awaken , he had only fought Mukade-Jurou and he was already ready for one more, battles were never enough for him.

Ripping one of the shoji doors, not bothering to open it correctly he advanced inside the house. The stench of the place was nauseating and Inuyasha felt his bile slowly rising and had to concentrate on the jewel to fully be able of achieving his goal of take the jewel back.

The walls on the palace were covered with grease the stench oozing from them and he caught a fait whiff of Kagome's scent. The ningen brat.

Following swiftly he came to a halt in front of a door where he smelled a great amount of sex, and with amazing relief – that he couldn't understand- he didn't recognized her scent there. The stench of male seed and tears stung his nose and he was about to enter when a new scream filled his senses and awoke something inside of him.

"Please stop!"

It was her, now he was sure that it was her and the laughter of a man reached his madly twitching ears, and arousal, made his eyes tingle with the intensity of the smell. What was going on?

Sprinting in direction of the gut wrenching scream he had heard and the strong air clogging scent of arousal he found a opened shoji door and in front of him was that certain thing that awoke something deep inside even though he didn't recognized it at a time.

The first thing he noticed it was a man. A large broad shouldered man in the tatami floor. He wasn't actually large he was more than large, _huge _would certainly fit much better.

Standing at least the double of his size and laughing there was something strange to this person.

His smell…Barely understanding what was going on he threw his nose in the air and sniffed soundly.

This man smelled like a dead human. How could that be? He smelled like a decaying ningen corpse but Inuyasha could also sense the youki oozing from him, powerfull and intimidating probably to anyone else. But the hanyou knew better. Fear was never an option.

This was the youki he had sensed in that god damned huge crow youkai, why had this human the same aura? He sniffled again and his twitching attentive ears caught a whimper travelling weakly through the air.

"please…"

Suddenly his eyes trained in the ground and sought to find the huge hands of the monster that was fumbling with something beneath him.

And beneath him she was.

Crying wordlessly screams as she squirmed and twitched madly under him and as he tried to open her legs forcefully.

He touched her face reassuringly as if he was doing nothing wrong and whispered to her, so enthralled in her that he didn't noticed Inuyasha at the door staring at this match horrified.

"Don't worry my dear miko, I'll absorb the shikon no tama and you at the same time. Don't you worry…! "

His voice was oddly high pitched and again he was remembered of the howls of the youkai crow from before. He could clearly see in the shoulders of the young woman beneath him, covered by a diseased looking kosode the stains of dried dark thick blood.

He couldn't smell her, because the arousal of the _thing _forcing her was overwhelming dominating and he wanted to never scent that again.

That was what awoke, he lunged forward and shaping his shoulder in the huge stomach of the decaying corpse he finally scented nowhere near the thing, but inside him there was incredibly greed and hatred tainted youki. This corpse, this man he was dead, he probably even was the Karasu the Area headman, but the corpse was possessed by the huge crow, that even though was very big in size couldn't compare to this man's grotesque stature.

The youkai possessed man felt to the flour, the strength in the blow making his body drag through the tatami floor and the shoji across the door, ripping it and making him fall in soft dirt.

Absentmindedly he realized he could hear Kagome strangled gasp as she followed him outside and a exhalation of air as in relief. What was she? Stupid? This hadn't even begun yet!

When following the rising corpse he landed gracious and elegantly in the dirt outside just besides the man who was coughing blood and dirt. His movements were weird and strained, and Inuyasha recognized these actions as the ones someone not use to a body would have. That meant soon, the true form , the crow youkai who had pierced Kagome's shoulder and had now the intent of raping her and steal her the jewel… something on him flared and he entered battle mode.

All that mattered now was winning this bastard and grab the jewel and to be full youkai. But first he wanted to have the pleasure to rip this fucker's throat.

His knuckles cracked almost involuntary, but it wasn't it was more of a automatic action in battle and he lunged for the odd walking man. He tried to block it with outstretched arms in front of his face, but Inuyasha's foot broke through his arm's barrier and threw him to the ground. When he was about to pound him again, he noticed the creature sniffing the air and narrowing his eyes and then break in a fit of terrifying strange laughter. Inuyasha looked with hatred to him and grabbed his loose kosode forcefully making the huge man-like thing face him. But he continued laughing, the open smile he wore make the lines of his face break the caked blood break and mix with the new that had born from the rough landing.

"Fucker, do you find funny that your death is right around the corner?"

His harsh words were spoken in a strained hiss as the man kept laughing and laughing. Between scary giggles he coughed some blood and managed to get out some words. Kagome watched helpless useless at the broken shoji, her body trembling, heart pounding.

She was so scared; she didn't remember ever being so terrified. She didn't knew why, she just kept hearing her own voice in her head screaming that she could not, would not see hanyou blood spilled.

But it was too late for when the coughing man spoke awful words to the hanyou

"Are you my prince? My lord Inuyasha? You are the second one in the line of succession to possess the title of Inu no Taisho?? You are nothing but a half-breed! You dirty sullied piece of nothing your mother should have drowned you at birth!"

Then all that happened, lasted no longer than a blink of brown chocolate sorrowful eyes.

Inuyasha lunged with bared fangs and claws held high, ready to punish such arrogance such imprudence , when he began to chant the two words that would tears the corpse body apart _Sankon tessou _he started to say, but he was interrupted by the massive transformation occurring, just that second in front of him,

As if it was merely a shell, the human body harboring the mononoke, turned his eyes to Kagome as it ripped by the limbs that fell hollow to the ground as if it had been eaten from inside blood pooling around one arm then another, the legs as the torso fell to the ground and the dark youki spread through the holes in it, finally the head fell of, completely empty no brains no skull, no flesh, just like the others fallen parts of the body it was as if it was a costume a suit for play, the head a spooky mask, the torso ripped in two, and the youkai inside of the corpse finally was released, his beady eyes went to Kagome again, its black feather covered in blood, practically a deep scarlet now, its protruding beak sharpened, surely live threatening, the third red eyes in the bird youkai's head blinked and the talons that had pierced her shoulder made him come forwards towards her, she stepped back a little and then started running. They seemed oblivious that the hanyou was still there.

Like himself the bird youkai and certainly felt the huge amount of power radiating from Kagome. Her aura cracked with miko energy and that must have been what attracted the strange thing.

But Inuyasha wasn't going to just stand there and watch. Something inside him burned. It was the same fire that had alighted when he saw her beneath the body of the dead man, her eyes leaking tears, and now that fire burned within him , screaming at him to kill that thing to maim him before he could hurt Kagome again… some more.

The thought that he had already hurt her was enough to finally unravel the power of his boiling blood and without a second thought he carved his claws in the soft skin of the palm of his hand. Blood flood from the 5 puncture wounds that were now already starting to heal to his claws and he shouted blind with rage his attack.

"_Hijin Tessou !"_

It was a large range attack but the blood claws flew right from his bloodied hand to the huge crow, and he gave up on pursuing Kagome, she looked relief and shot him an thank you look while wrapping her own arms in her midriff as if hugging herself and quickly falling to the ground breathing raggedly and trembling. She was a frightened young girl at that moment. The tears in her eyes leaked from her face to her dirty kosode.

The crow however was not happy he barked a howl of outrage and lunged at the hanyou, lifting his own huge form from the ground, opening his tremendous pair of wings and looking at his opponent fuming. Inuyasha had managed to really irritate the bird. When his thoughts flew there, though he smirked and readied his talons again intending on tears limb from limb of the white haired prince.

But the hanyou knew better he was merely waiting when these creature was close enough he would use iron reaver soul stealer, the steal claws and he'd tear that bastard into oblivion. How dare he? he'd make funs of his heritage and tried to rape the girl that was for now at least under his care. Kikyou's copy, all he could see was the claws of the giant bird clawing Kikyou's shoulder, but suddenly she was not herself anymore, her face kept changing and then there was the ningen brat squirming frightened under the walking corpse. He was disgusted by such vile actions. After all wasn't he the hanyou? The dirty sullied hanyou that brought bad luck and bad spirits to villages and ruined the crops? Why was he disgusted? He should like these things. He couldn't even fit in the desired stereotype of the hanyou…

Those thoughts flew away though when he saw that the crow finally reached him. His talons lunging forwards ready to slice his arm when he lifted it. But it was to late for him…

_Sankon Tessou!_

And his paws were gone. No more threatening talons. Inuyasha snarled in satisfaction waiting for the black blue hued crow to fall. But it didn't. instead he opened its beak and the sound that came out of that weapon was a simple laughter, not evil nor anything, a truly amused laughter.

"Hanyou I will not die that easily!"

Laughter roared again but this time it was a dark and Kagome could swear she almost saw the youkai bird smiling. It was impossible of course, but maybe had something to do with the aura he was giving off, his youki was so tainted and rotten it was giving her a headache. She closed her eyes for seconds, merely seconds and then it was gone.

The comfortable weight she had been carrying for two days now disappeared from her collar, she felt a bit empty the beautiful pink warm aura was gone from next to her and she felt angry really angry that someone would take it off. This had all happened in less than a millisecond. When she returned from her short musings to the world she saw the dark blue hued feathers of the crow high in the sky taking the night with it as dawn very, very slowly started to creep in the above.

In a blink Inuyasha was facing her, fury twisting his face, he grabbed her arm and showed her the wall inside the shoji door where a yumi and a quiver filled with ya stood, he grabbed them and tossed them at her wordlessly.

Understanding his fury but growing even more infuriated with dog man due to his lack of manners she proudly – although in shaky steps – stood and grabbed both yumi and quiver. What the hell was she supposed to do with it anyways? Maybe it was for him to use? No that didn't seem likely…

Lost in her musing she only saw the position Inuyasha was in when she stumbled in his crouched form.

He glared at her when she lost her balance and landed in him…hard. Her body sprawled against his torso between his open legs, one of his arms locked in her waist keeping her pressed to him, the other managing to hold both of their weight had prevented a really nasty fall.

She blushed furiously and averted her eyes from him, mumbling something between the lines of _"sumimasen"_ and tried to lift her body weight from him. She took notice – albeit embarrassed – that his warmth was really comfortable and that his muscles were taut and strong. For a moment she longed to touch him beneath all his clothing and she felt a shiver coursing down her spine. Missing the way Inuyasha looked at her , confused and amazed she blushed even harder, berated herself for thinking such things when the man obviously had a strong dislike for her… after all she was the look alike of his lost love and with that new line of thought she tried to got up again but found that it was not that easy. No it definitely was not easy, because Inuyasha's arm was still locked at her waist. He was wearing a confused expression – and although she couldn't notice because only some dawn light rays entered the room and it was still dark - a lovely blush adorned his cheeks too.

"Ah… you can let go now…Arigatou for catching me"

Her voice was strangely detached and he found himself thinking what was she thinking. Quickly such thoughts turn around and he questioned himself. What was _he _thinking? She was Kikyou's look alike and for that he couldn't let her die because he couldn't bear to look at Kikyou's essence die for the second time- at least that was what he had told himself f- but he needed to find the jewel. He wanted to get rid of these pathetic human emotions and feelings the only way to do that was to transform into a youkai, a Tai youkai, like his chichi-ue had been … like aniki now was. But still, there was something to this girl that attracted him to no end. She called to him in more ways than one, just now having her body between his muscular thighs, her head resting in his chest and then he shivered and the unmistakable scent of faint arousal hit him full force mixed with embarrassment. She quickly got up with him, and he crouched next to her again.

"Keh. Get on"

She did as she was told but he wasn't expecting the tightness in his muscles the way they rippled under her touch and then those thighs attached themselves to his waist and he nearly dropped her at the feeling of her warmth. She had hakama on, but what if she was wearing that ridiculous short skirt of her and he was holding her velvet skin…?

He thanked the gods she wasn't and shook off those thoughts in the first leap following the evil bird suit.

The carnage stench had stalked the youkai; he had flown out the current area and was chasing the path Inuyasha had made before. He was heading to Area I1. Kikyou's Area…

He tried to think of a way of saving everybody but was interrupted by a shriek that certainly hurt his ears. The girl on his back had firmed her body very tightly to his body was gripping his shoulders with all her strength and her tights were taut in his grip too she was clamping his torso and he was sure that was she doing this to a human, the ningen had probably started to cough in lack of air. Her human heart thumping excessively. She had strength.

He furrowed his brow. He didn't like the idea of the brat hugging some Human's midriff with her thighs. He didn't like it at all.

"Hey, wench! Don't do that! You hurt my ears! What the fuck is your problem? "

He felt her temperature rising and knew instantly that she was blushing.

"Gomen nasai… I just… I… don't like highs…"

She admitted her fear with a fierce blush and in a whisper. He was impressed most girl her age if spoiled enough would've shriek that too looking for protection, if not they'd never admit their fears and simply submit and subject themselves. But not Kagome, although she was very annoyed for telling him she was afraid she did it honorably, quietly and humbly.

Finally AreaI1 started to show itself up ahead and she let out a sigh of relief. She didn't even realize they were chasing the fucking bird he was sure, she didn't.

But she couldn't see with her weak human eyes what he saw with his youkai vision. In the village the bird had managed to grab a little girl, no more than 4 years old he was sure, when they were closer the stench of fear permeated the air and he barely could keep his leaps in check. They landed in front of a group of Area persons. Their expressions were aggravated and they seemed even more on edge when they saw the state Kagome was in. A boy of his 18 years no more, and maybe even less stepped forward he was the nephew of the headman, and he wore a kind and sorrowful expression plastered in his average face. Although when he landed his eyes on Kagome his gaze darkened with something no one would believe and he bowed to her, unlike most of the people that had wave to her all day.

Inuyasha didn't like him. And he liked him even more when he saw him step for his ward and scowl his features looking at her blood stained kosode.

He touched it lightly and she tensed. Immediately the hanyou was at her side wishing that boy had never step forward. But the young ningen ignored him and spoke softy to the miko before him.

"Miko-sama, are you alright? who did this to you? Was it the hanyou? If it was him there are laws that…"

"Hayate-kun!"

Since the boy had started speaking in that lazy stretched voice of his, Inuyasha had frozen in his place of course they thought he had hurt her… Of course… after all not two days ago he had threatened her life. How could they not. But the things that that crow had tried to do to her, it made him sick to imagine himself doing that. It irritated him though – although he was pleased that she had stopped his rambling – that she used kun along with the boys first name. Were they friends then? He folded his arms crossing them at the chest and sticking his hands in the opposite sleeves of his Hi nezumi coat. Snarling he spoke.

"Listen here kid, if you have something to say just say it, don't insinuate things nor ignore me."

Kagome looked at him apologetically, why? She hadn't done anything why was she saying sorry with those big brown eyes of hers? She came to stood more near him then she turned to the nephew of the Area headman and spoke lowly but strongly.

"Hayate-kun, Inuyasha-san here helped me and save me. I am very grateful to him. Arigatou-Gosaimasou, Inuyasha-san"

She turned to him and while he was surprised with the honorific and delicate words he was taken a back – completely- by the low bow she gave him and while doing that she tilted her head completely to the right.

"_What the… how the fuck can she know that? Does she even have an idea of what she's doing right now?"_

He was frustrated beyond relief when Kaede showed up and understood by herself that baring a submissive neck to someone with Inu youkai blood – a royal one nonetheless – was not a very good idea, to expose that part of her skin to was like submitting herself completely to his will, it was almost a taboo if not between mates. It was something so intimate and with such a powerfull charge that his blood boiled and his loins burned and coiled. Although both old woman and the hanyou were very much in shock at the sight of Kagome doing such thing in public something that normally would keep her with Inuyasha until the rest of her days. By his side.

His instincts were free wheeling and try to crack his soul, trying to get out of a shell he had created for keep them in check and don't throw himself to any body in the streets. That had been over 100 years ago. And this girl managed to almost break that with one single gesture? That was insane. And yet… it was true.

But why was she doing this was it… - he gulped- instinct?

Trying to swallow down the lump in his throat and focus in really important things like not letting that disgusting crow eat that little girl and not thinking in that creamy peach skin of her neck he closed his eyes and spoke in a harsh raspy voice.

"No need to bow to me girl"

Feeling again the abnormal high temperature he understood that he'd embarrassed her and that again she had blushed profusely. He bit the inside of his cheeks for a second that seemed and hour looking at her composing her garments and dusting them off because of the rough landing.

Then he spoke again to her, giving her his back and speaking over his shoulder.

"We have to go the crow took a kid. And you have to take the shikon no tama back brat. C'mon."

And he hunched again, waiting for her to get on.

She already knew she had to go riding in his back. And it wasn't that she didn't like it, for the first time in her life she hadn't been afraid of heights, oh no she definitely wasn't afraid. She was exhilarated, ecstatic for being in his back riding through the air, leaping above clouds, seeing his incredible balance landing in one foot and with the same foot jumping in the same second his skin neared the grass or the rocks of a mountain.

He was so powerfull. And the power he emanated twirled in her aura; she felt it almost saw it. It was blissful. It was those same knots between their souls that had pusher her neck aside when she had bowed. When his words registered in her mind she quickly dropped those thoughts and ran to him, her body collided with his muscular back and she embraced her shoulder and thighs with arms and legs. She could swear she had seen him lift one of those dark brows inquisitively but looking again it wasn't there so maybe it had seen only her imagination.

He started to run as soon as his clawed hands grabbed her thighs around his torso and when she looked up, her heart wasn't pounding like before. On the contrary weren't their circumstances she'd find herself enjoying the journey, but she suddenly remembered that they had a girl to save. It was their responsibility because if the crow youkai was here it was there fault… in a way. An she still had the Shikon no tama to retrieve and noticed then she hadn't stop clutching her yumi.

"Do you think it'll eat her?"

Her voice laced with fear and disgust. He hated that she felt fear for something in his presence, she could only fear him, and nothing else had the right to cause her discomfort.

But the truth was, he didn't know if the crow wanted it he could eat the child in a heartbeat, it was not new for a crow overall!

Inuyasha, though had the slightest impression that the crow wanted them to follow him . If he didn't want to eat the ningen kid and he was taking the brat away it was the only solution.

"Keh. Dunno."

She clasped him a bit harder and took a deep breath, her tense muscles and sharp intake of air through the nose, made him believe she was trying to gain courage. Trying to be brave.

Didn't she understand she was already an aberration just by riding his back? She should be sickened to touch him, a powerfull miko, as it was!

Up ahead in the end of his visibility line, running towards the hills, why was he attracting them there? He didn't know, he couldn't very well rationalize all things and he only wanted the shikon no tama back and take this wench off his piggyback ride.

When she thought it was absolutely impossible he ran faster and faster and faster, never slowing down, until Kagome herself could see the outline of the youkai and a small twitching body in its big claws. The child was secure inside the hole his talons formed to join each other, and so there was no danger of it to be hurt. At least Kagome wanted to believe that. She saw the jewel glowing in his other tallons

She wanted to tell Inuyasha she had already spotted them but he was jumping now, leaping from rock to rock in the mountains higher until they reached the same height the bird youkai was in and when she thought she could say that to him he gave her a order:

"Grab the yumi"

His voice was strained, and the young miko deduced it was from the long run. It was not…. He was preparing himself to feel her miko rush of energy next to him coursing that warm soft fragile looking body of hers…

Suddenly was zapping right though her , the clouds seemed green and the grass bluer and bluer, Inuyasha's garments silver and his hair deep crimson red, his mouth amber, his eyes pink , his ears were there and then they weren't, she was there and then she wasn't.

All of it was running around in front of her, suddenly they're leaping backwards and then falling to the ground but she felt inside her that they're in the air, safe Inuyasha holding her there, her hands gripping the bow and she notched a ya.

But she was absolutely sure she had never grabbed a bow in her life before, and yet she was aware that her gestures were accurate, that she was doing everything right, Inuyasha ran fasters the colors were tuning in a messier blur she stopped hearing and yet she heard all so clearly the chirping of birds, her heartbeat. The swish of the grass under Inuyasha's foot, and then the creaking of soft rocks, the thrumming of her heart…

It was exhilarating and nauseating, but at the same time frightening what was invading her body made her feel a whole new part of herself, and for now not knowing she just feared it. Pulling as far as she could, but knowing the limit that'd break the string she took aim and tried to fix it in the moving bird, then Kagome loosened her grip in it and the ya flew right past the bird when he moved to the right, the purifying miko energy leaving a white trail in the sky, Inuyasha shivered under her and she felt his claws prickling her skin through the red miko hakama she was donning.

"Get it fucking right! What a lousy shot! Kikyou would be able to strike it! In a heartbeat"

In that moment the numbness and the lack of sensations and awareness situation left her and was replaced by a strong determination, while Inuyasha leaped from rock to rock she felt her rage increasing, how dare he? she had discovered just now that she had reiki and he was expecting she already knew how to control them? Besides they're fucking leaping in the air, and the shot hadn't been that lousy if only the stupid thing would sit still and wait for its death arrow! She was absolutely determined to show this dog-boy that she was no brat as he so eloquently had put it, that she was no Kikyou, and most of all that she was no weakling that would submit to his every complain! Oh no Mister! that she wasn't!

Reading another arrow and waiting for that lack of feelings to fill her again, she replaced it inside her with her own anger. The distinct and clean-cut contours of the world made itself known, and she breathed them in touched them with her aura, she couldn't see it but his demonic senses made Inuyasha's eyes see the explosion of her miko aura and boy did it spread out! His eyes bulged…the pureness of her aura clogged Risaishi and covered it in whole, he was sure all of Nippon had been affected; there wasn't one single youkai that didn't know the miko was alive. Her arrow was loosened from the feathery iron grip Kagome had had in it, and again it left a beautiful track of white pure spiritual energy flakes, His own body shivered violently.

He saw it happened he hear the piece of wood sharply cut, embedded with reiki ripping through the air and fly correctly towards the bird demon current place. He saw the thing try to change direction but it was too late for him. The arrow ran forward and attached itself in the flesh of the bird. With a high pitched howl reminiscent of those that Mukade jurou had let out, the bird let the child fall to the ground. The little person was probably to shocked (maybe even in shock) and scared to scream, maybe she had fainted. Inuyasha rushed to catch her before she hit the ground- one of those falls would break anyone's cranium- without ever taking his eyes of the scene above him. He knew Kagome was doing the same.

The bird exploded, and Kagome caught the baby girl bringing her to Inuyasha's chest- he thought for two seconds that the mother of the child would be angered for her child was touching something as him- but he couldn't care anymore when he saw that from the explosion little chips of glowing glass were spreading from high in the sky to every direction in Risaishi.

_**Oh fuck!**_

They both groaned within.

The jewel was shattered; all that was left were Shikon no kakera pretending to be pink glowing stars in the morning and running away from the source of their shattering.

- - - - - - - -

**Next Chapter: **ここで、iのですか？ (Where am I?)

I am sorry for taking this long to update, but its here ne? Review doesn't cost a thing and makes me gain my day, so yeah… go ahead!

**Chino.**


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